Sea’s Garena has yet to launch its popular mobile title Free Fire in India, more than six months after announcing plans to do so, a prolonged delay that has raised concerns among entrepreneurs and investors closely following Sea’s expansion strategy in the lucrative South Asian market.
Garena, Sea’s gaming unit, announced plans to launch Free Fire in India in August last year, marking a comeback more than a year and a half after the title was banned in India. The company – which has partnered with local giant Hiranandani-controlled Yotta for the cloud and other data storage needs of local users in the country – said it will launch the title in India on September 5.
But more than six months later, the company that appointed Indian cricket icon Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador in the country is yet to hit the ground running.
Yanjun Wang, Group Chief Corporate Officer at Sea, said during the earnings call this week that the Singapore-based giant is “still making changes” to the game to take into account “local user preference” and “has “no material growth” to share .
Free Fire, once a beloved game in India with more than 40 million users, has disappointed its fans with Garena’s lack of transparency about the relaunch, causing many players to abandon the title in favor of Krafton’s BGMI.
Sea declined to comment.
India banned Free Fire and dozens of other Chinese apps in 2022. Days later, Sea said it was shutting down Shopee’s operations in India, months after testing the social commerce service in the country.
Shopee’s trial in India had drawn criticism from local retailers in the country. The Confederation of All India Traders, an influential lobby group for many offline retailers in India, had contacted Prime Minister Narendra Modi, warning him that the arrival of yet another foreign player involved in what it claims were “unfair trade practices” it will damage the local ecosystem.
India had also banned Krafton’s PUBG in the country, but last year allowed the company to release a similar battle royale title. Krafton’s title once again became the most popular game in India.
