Free Fire Max Surpasses Karfton’s BGMI To Clinch Top Esports Slot In India

As India Bans Chinese Apps, Sea Witnesses $16 Bn Wipeout

SUMMARY

Free Fire is a mobile multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by Singapore-based game developer, Garena

In September 2023, Free Fire Max surpassed BGMI, becoming the leading esports game in India by November with over 28 Mn monthly unique users, compared to BGMI's 21 Mn players

Despite the Ministry of Home Affairs banning Free Fire in India in February 2022 over security concerns, Garena continued its operations in the country by offering the premium version, Free Fire Max, which was not subjected to the ban

Singapore-based Garena’s Free Fire Max has reportedly surpassed Krafton’s BattleGrounds Mobile India (BGMI) to become India’s most popular esports in terms of user base.

Free Fire is a mobile multiplayer battle royale game developed and published by Garena for both Android and iOS platforms.

In November last year, Free Fire Max saw 28 Mn unique users against BGMI’s 21 Mn, ET reported, citing data of media analytics platform Comscore.

Despite facing a temporary loss of the top spot to BGMI in June last year, shortly after BGMI resumed operations, Free Fire Max regained its position within three months.

It’s noteworthy that the Ministry of Home Affairs banned Free Fire Max’s sister game Free Fire in India in February 2022, along with 53 other apps, due to security concerns. However, Garena continued its operations in India by providing a premium version of the game, Free Fire Max, which was not banned by the Centre.

“We have always seen a much larger base of players from smaller cities and towns with low-specification smartphones opt for Free Fire compared to other esports games,” said Anuj Tandon, chief executive of gaming at media and gaming firm JetSynthesys, told ET.

Both games, Free Fire Max and BGMI, involve players competing against each other, either individually or in teams of four, in a confined virtual space, with the last remaining player or team emerging victorious. Free Fire Max employs more fantastic motifs with players and weapons alike, unlike BGMI which has more realistic weapons and settings.

Last year, Garena delayed the highly anticipated release of the exclusive Indian version of the popular battle royale game Free Fire by a few weeks. The postponement aimed to ensure the complete localisation of the game.

In September 2023, Garena announced the comeback of Free Fire in India after a year-and-a-half ban, making the game available for download. However, the company decided to postpone the launch to provide the best possible experience for all Free Fire India fans.

Garena first announced the launch of its exclusive ‘Free Fire India’ version on August 31, with former captain of the India cricket team MS Dhoni as its brand ambassador.

The company also said that Free Fire India will be an India-exclusive app, with features and content that are specific to the local market.

With increasing internet and smartphone penetration, India has become a lucrative market for gaming companies in recent years. The Lumikai report indicates a four-fold surge in the number of esports players in India, reaching 600,000 in 2022 from 150,000 in 2021.

BGMI has experienced significant success since its relaunch in India, and Garena’s ‘Free Fire India’ version is anticipated to capitalise on the country’s expanding online gaming industry. The industry is projected to reach a market size of $8.6 Bn by FY27.

Besides BGMI, Free Fire India will compete against the Made-in-India battle royale title Indus, which is being developed by Pune-based game development startup SuperGaming.