WhatsApp said on Wednesday that it will offer credit card payments and services from rival digital payment providers within its app in India, the latest bet by the Meta-owned service to boost commerce offerings in its biggest market.
31.08.2023 - 21:31 / techcrunch.com / Free Fire
Garena is relaunching Free Fire in India, a year and a half after the popular mobile title was banned in the South Asian market over national security concerns.
The firm, owned by South Asian giant Sea, said it has partnered with Yotta, controlled by local giant Hiranandani, for cloud and other storage needs of local users’ data in the country. It has also appointed Indian cricket legend Mahendra Singh Dhoni as its brand ambassador in the country.
The company said it has further localized Free Fire for the Indian market — incorporating “unique content” and creating an environment that “encourage(s) a safe, healthy and fun gameplay experience” — and will make the title available in the country on September 5. Free Fire India users will be encouraged to take breaks after certain intervals, the company said.
Before it was banned, Free Fire enjoyed significant popularity in India with around 40 million monthly active users. It was a close competitor to Krafton’s PUBG and BGMI, which are also immensely popular in the country. India’s ban on Free Fire immediately wiped $16 billion off Sea’s market cap last year.
“We look forward to providing an engaging and highly localised experience for Indian users,” said Gang Ye, co-founder of Garena, in a statement. “We believe our partnership with Yotta will ensure that our users can enjoy the highest quality gameplay experience and benefit from Yotta’s expertise in protecting and securing Indian user data.”
Data and Image Credits: HSBC. Research: Sensor Tower, HSBC
Garena’s move follows Krafton securing a re-entry of BGMI in India on a trial basis. Last year, Sea also quietly attempted to launch its e-commerce platform Shopee in India but ceased the initiative weeks after the ban on Free Fire.
Industry executives say that Garena still needs to change its tack in the country and should attempt to mirror Krafton strategy by investing in local firms.
“We still believe that Sea needs to present a more vocal identity for its India business, and for that, it needs to hire an established CEO,” AllianceBernstein analysts wrote last year. “This is required to bring an identity to its Indian business, rather than being operated from the region.”
Sea didn’t respond to requests for comment on Wednesday. India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT hasn’t commented on Free Fire’s return.
“Garena’s launch of Free Fire India and commitment to localising and developing the esports ecosystem locally is testament to the vibrancy of the mobile games and esports space in India, and to India’s potential for global leadership in this area,” said H.E. Simon Wong, High Commissioner of Singapore to India, at an event Thursday. “I look forward to greater partnerships in the digital media, entertainment and
WhatsApp said on Wednesday that it will offer credit card payments and services from rival digital payment providers within its app in India, the latest bet by the Meta-owned service to boost commerce offerings in its biggest market.
Reliance Jio, on Tuesday, September 19, launched its Jio AirFiber service in India. The 5G hotspot service will be available in eight different cities during its initial rollout. These cities include Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Mumbai, and Pune. The company stated that Jio AirFiber will address the last-mile internet connectivity in the nation and will bring high-speed internet to every house. If you too are curious about Reliance Jio's latest offering, then check out Jio AirFiber plans, prices, and features.
Garena Free Fire redeem codes for September 18: Are you also a Garena Free Fire fan? People from all over the world are fascinated by this online game because of the amazing thrills that it provides. In addition, various events organized by Garena Free Fire keep players hooked to the game and keep attracting more users. Notably, Garena has recently launched its Free Fire Moco Store. With this event, you can get various opportunities to earn fist skins along with another bonus item. The rewards may include a pet, a loot box, or a backpack. Garena is providing an entire library to choose your rewards. This event began today September 17, 2023. You can collect the rewards till September 30, 2023. Fist skins are the highlights of this event. In order to enhance your gaming experience, you can redeem daily codes for Free Fire. Take a look at today's redeem codes for Garena Free Fire below:
Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for September 17:Garena Free Fire is one of the most popular online games in India. Not only in India but people from all over the world are also fascinated because of its awesome game play. Its features keep players hooked to the game and it can also be addictive. Garena Free Fire was banned in India earlier because of security concerns. However, Garena has announced the comeback of Garena Free Fire in India, and this time it will be called Free Fire India. It was about to launch on September 5 but due to some reasons it could not be launched that day, leaving gaming enthusiasts disheartened. However, Garena has informed that the delay in re-launch is because of the changes they are bringing out in the game. They want to create a surreal experience for Indian Players. Free Fire MAX is the premium version of Free Fire and it runs on premium devices as it is a very heavy graphic-rich game. If you are not in India you can enjoy Garena Free Fire and win various rewards. These rewards will elevate your gaming experience. Check today's redeem codes for Garena Free Fire:
Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for September 16: Indian Garena Free Fire players are eagerly waiting for the relaunch announcement of Free Fire India to happen soon, but the wait is turning out to be interminable. While that looks to be work-in-progress, there is no need to limit your fun as Garena Free Fire Max is very much here gaining. In fact, in the absence of the banned Garena Free Fire, it gained a lot of recognition with its gameplay, graphics, characters, and more. The Battle Royal game is designed in an intuitive way that keeps the players hooked.
Garena Free Fire players have had a reason to rejoice lately as the game is expected to make a comeback in India in the form of Free Fire India. For the unaware, Garena Free Fire, along with 54 other China-linked apps, was banned by the Government of India on the morning of February 14, 2022. However, the ban was recently lifted, and the game is expected to arrive soon. Despite the unavailability of Garena Free Fire, its enhanced version, Garena Free Fire MAX, is free to play in India. It includes more advanced effects, animations, and graphics to enhance the overall user experience without compromising gameplay. However, it needs vastly superior resources on the gadgets being used to play the game. It is a more spec-heavy version of Garena Free Fire, but identical in terms of gameplay, and has become more popular, especially since the ban of Garena Free Fire in India.
Garena Free Fire MAX Redeem Codes for September 11: September is going to be a thrilling month for all the Free Fire lovers. Garena Free Fire MAX has unveiled an exciting lineup of events for September, promising players across regions an action-packed month filled with challenges and enticing rewards. While Free Fire India has been delayed, the old game continues to captivate gamers worldwide. From the thrilling Token Roulette to lucrative Top Up Events, there are ample opportunities for players to engage in exciting activities and secure exclusive in-game items.
U.S. chip firm Nvidia on Friday announced AI partnerships with Indian conglomerates Reliance Industries and Tata Group to develop cloud infrastructure and language models, as well as generative applications.
Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes September 8: The battle royale game, Garena Free Fire is soon to make a comeback in India with new themes, characters and rules. The name is FF India. Players are waiting for an update about the relaunch, however, it seems like it can take some time as no news has been shared recently- it was supposed to launch on September 5, but that was delayed. Till the launch happens, check out how you can redeem codes for in-game freebies and level up your gameplay.
Garena Free Fire Redeem Codes for September 6: Battle Royale game, Free Fire had received the green light from the government to relaunch the game for Indian users. The Free Fire India launch date was September 5, 2023, but at the very last moment, it was announced that the roll-out was delayed indefinitely. Check out what we know so far.
Jio Platforms, a subsidiary of Reliance Industries Limited, has announced special offers on select prepaid plans to commemorate its 7th anniversary, Reliance Chairman Mukesh Ambani announced. Jio recently updated its plans to include a Netflix subscription bundled with select recharge plans, becoming the first telecom provider in India to offer such options. With 7th-anniversary special plan options, Jio will be offering extra data and benefits.
The day for which Garena Free Fire enthusiasts were eagerly waiting is here, but the game launch is not likely to happen today! The Garena Free Fire launch date was meant to be today, but this most-anticipated game has been delayed and that too by a few weeks, leaving players disheartened.