Free Fire India is set to return to India from September 5 following the government’s ban in February 2022 due to privacy and user safety concerns.
New features
Developer and Esports company Garena said that the app will be available to download from September 5.
This time it comes with features such as a verification system to enable parental supervision, gameplay limitations and ‘take a break’ reminders.
Message to Indian players
“India is home to very passionate communities of esports enthusiasts and we are excited to be able to support our fans from Bharat with the launch of Free Fire India.
We look forward to providing an engaging and highly localised experience for Indian users,” Garena Co-Founder Gang Ye said in a statement.
New ambassador and playable character
The Singaporean company has also roped in Indian cricketer MS Dhoni as the new brand ambassador for Free Fire India.
“He (Dhoni) will be celebrated as the first Indian sportsperson to be featured in-game as a playable character, ‘Thala’.
Dhoni will be joined by other leading sportspersons, such as football captain Sunil Chhetri, badminton champion Saina Nehwal, tennis legend Leander Paes, and Kabbadi champion Rahul Chaudhari,” the company said.
Competition
Free Fire competes with PUBG which was banned in 2020.
However another game from the same South Korean video game firm Krafton- BGMI is available in the country.
Management of user data
Another announcement was made alongside the release date.
Garena has partnered with data services firm Yotta’s cloud hosting and storage infrastructure for Free Fire India.
“As a MeitY-empanelled service provider, Yotta will ensure best in-class management of personal data of Indian users on local servers and network connectivity services to support Garena’s product offerings in India, including in exports,” Garena said.
Esports Championship
They have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Uttar Pradesh government to boost the development of esports in India.
“We are also committed to supporting the development of India’s esports and startup ecosystems.
The Free Fire India Esports Championships is our first step in building out our platform of esports events and activities in the coming months to empower Indian esports athletes to succeed globally”, the cofounder said.
