Garena develops India-themed games as Free Fire ban persists

Singaporean gaming giant Garena is pivoting its strategy in India, shifting focus toward locally-themed titles as the government continues to block its flagship battle royale, Free Fire. More than two years after the initial ban, the company is quietly building a new portfolio of games tailored specifically for the Indian market.

The most prominent move is the early access release of Versus, a 1v1 fighting game inspired by Hindu mythology, now available on the Google Play Store. While the store listing does not explicitly link the game to Garena, regulatory filings reveal that the developer, AstroTech Studio, is headed by Harold Teo, a Garena director and the global producer for Free Fire.

Expanding the Indian Portfolio

Industry insiders indicate that Garena’s development efforts in India are split between multiple hubs:

• Pune: Home to the team behind Versus, which has been in development for over two years. This team is also currently building a cricket-themed game to target India’s largest sports fan base.
• Mumbai: The base for a separate team focused on developing a digital version of Ludo, a classic board game that has seen massive success on mobile devices.

To maintain operations, Garena reportedly utilizes a model where Singapore-based executives oversee the studios, while a significant local workforce handles the actual development and marketing. This structure allows the company to navigate the complexities of a market where regulatory hurdles have proven difficult to overcome.

The Lingering Free Fire Ban

The status of Free Fire, which previously boasted approximately 40 million monthly active users in India, remains uncertain. Although it was banned due to national security concerns—reportedly tied to the use of Chinese data centers—the company has yet to secure a successful relaunch.

Sea, Garena’s parent company, had previously signaled a return to the market, including a planned partnership with Indian provider Yotta Infrastructure to localize data storage. During an earnings call in March, Yanjun Wang, group chief corporate officer at Sea, stated that the company was still refining the game to meet local user preferences. Sources suggest that most required technical adjustments have been completed, yet the title has not returned to app stores.

The ongoing situation highlights the challenges for major consumer companies facing long-term regulatory bans. Rather than waiting exclusively for a reversal of the Free Fire decision, Garena is betting that localized, culturally relevant content may provide a more sustainable path back into the Indian gaming ecosystem.