Garena’s popular battle royale title is staging a remarkable comeback as “Free Fire India,” and it has enlisted the former Indian cricket captain, MS Dhoni, as its official brand ambassador.
Nevertheless, the path to the game’s revival has encountered obstacles, including multiple delays in the release date.
This news has left dedicated fans disappointed, as they eagerly awaited the title’s return following its suspension by the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY) back in February 2022.
Garena, through its social media channels, recently announced the postponement of the game’s launch by a few weeks, which was initially anticipated to be available for download in India from September 5.
This marks the game’s resurgence after being dormant for approximately one and a half years due to concerns related to national security.
Notably, Garena continues to offer a premium variant known as ‘Free Fire Max,’ which was unaffected by the suspension imposed by Indian authorities.
The company clarified that the delay in Free Fire India’s release is aimed at ensuring the delivery of the “optimal gaming experience to all of our Free Fire India enthusiasts” right from the start.
In a statement, Garena stated, “In addition to refining the gameplay, we are taking some time to fully complete our localization of the Free Fire India experience.”
The announcement of Free Fire India’s launch was initially made by Garena on August 31, with MS Dhoni joining as the brand ambassador.
Vaibhav Das Mundhra, Senior Manager and Game Producer at Garena, emphasized in an interview with Indianexpress that the modified version of the game has been developed in strict adherence to local laws and regulations.
As part of this revival, Garena has enlisted Indian cricketer Mahendra Singh Dhoni as the face of Free Fire India, where he will feature as a playable character named ‘Thala.‘
Moreover, the game will incorporate several exclusive features designed to assist players in reaching the coveted Grandmaster rank, which is awarded to the top 300 players in a region.
