Garena setting up Free Fire India servers in Mumbai

After a long delay, it seems Garena Free Fire is also set to make a comeback in the Indian gaming market very soon. The developers are reportedly in the final steps of localizing the game to meet the requirements to once again operate in India.

The game was banned by MeitY under Section 69a of the IT Act regarding national security alongside over 50 other apps, including Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI).

The announcement was regarding the return of the game which was done back in September 2023 by Garena themselves, right after the return of BGMI. During the time, it was estimated that the game would be released in a month or two. However, the deadline was moved forward and made uncertain due to some issues.

Garena working with Yotta

Now, a person familiar with the matter has told the Economic Times that the Singapore-based game developer Garena is working with Yotta to install dedicated game servers in Mumbai. “Yotta is working with Garena's HQ (headquarters) team on testing the server, which is showing the high throughput required for handling streaming workloads with the least redundancy”, the person said.

Old User data will most likely be restored and shifted to the Indian servers. Furthermore, making the game stable before a re-release is also important to minimize any form of complication during an esports tournament.

The person also said that Free Fire is also being tested to comply with the government guidelines that were issued for online games last year. The news was later on also confirmed by Garena, who said, “Free Fire India will feature a fully localized infrastructure tailored to meet the needs and requirements of the authorities and our stakeholders in India.”

 BGMI after its unban also followed the guidelines. Some of these include warnings regarding the nature of the game and limiting the spending and gameplay time for underage players.

Garena Free Fire was also the biggest competitor for BGMI, boasting over 50 million users. With its return, the game is sure to create further opportunities for players across the country.