One of the most anticipated upcoming games for Indian audiences is Free Fire India. First announced on Aug. 31, 2023 with a slated release date of Sept. 5, 2023, BR fans in the country were ecstatic to hear the news. However, the game’s release has been significantly delayed.

For the unaware, Free Fire India is the localized version of the popular game by Garena. It is being launched in the country after the main game was banned in early 2022 by India’s Ministry of Electronics and IT due to alleged data privacy concerns. In early 2023, Garena announced that it was signing an MOU with the government of India’s most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, and also partnering with a local data center provider to handle the users’ data. These changes are likely paving the way for Free Fire India to come back.

When will Free Fire India be released?

Garena had initially announced that Free Fire India would be released on Sept. 5, 2023. However, a day before the slated release date, the company said that it was postponing the release date by “a few more weeks.”

However, even over a year later, the developer hasn’t announced a new release date for the title, leaving fans of the game very skeptical about its release.

Garena explained its decision to move the release date behind. The company said that it wants to offer the best experience to players when it releases in addition to completing the localization of the game.

“In addition to refining the gameplay, we are taking some time to fully complete our localization of the Free Fire India experience.”

It’s unclear what this means. However, it likely indicates the data transfer of Free Fire users to Free Fire India within the country.

A blunder on Garena’s part?

Before Sept. 4, 2023, Garena had done everything right for the release of Free Fire India, including setting up servers. The game was announced on Aug. 31, 2023, and was accompanied by a huge marketing campaign. The game tied up with several prominent sports persons to promote the game which includes the following:

• Star footballer Sunil Chettri
• Tennis player Leander Paes
• Badminton ace Saina Nehwal
• Kabaddi player Rahul Chaudhari

In addition to this, Garena also revealed that former Indian national men’s cricket team captain MS Dhoni would be the brand ambassador. MS Dhoni would also be getting an in-game character. The company also made commitments towards esports tournaments once the game is released.

However, the delay to the launch has killed almost of the hype. It’s surprising to see this last-minute change in the release date, which raises the question of how Garena blundered the perfect release for the game.

Nonetheless, Free Fire India was an immensely popular game before its ban and continues to have a sizable community which would flock back when it eventually releases.