Garena set to move Free Fire servers to India ahead of Free Fire India launch

Garena is all set to move Free Fire servers to India ahead of the game launch in the country, according to a report by Economic Times (ET). The publisher initially planned to launch the mobile title in September 2023 but postponed it. Citing users' data security concerns, the Indian government blocked the game from Google Play and Apple Store in February 2022.

To ensure a better ecosystem and meet the government's requirements, Garena will localize the full operations of Free Fire India in the country. Fans and esports players have been waiting for this game's launch for a long time. However, the max version of this mobile title is still available on the Google Play platform.

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Free Fire India's servers to be installed in Mumbai, India

The Free Fire India servers will be installed in Yotta Data Services’ Navi Mumbai. A source close to Economic Times said;

"Yotta is working with Garena's HQ (headquarter) team on testing the server, which is showing high throughput required for handling streaming workloads with least redundancy. It is important that performance metrics are adequately tested before the game goes to market because esports tournaments put many ecosystem plavers at stake and therefore should be devoid of any technical snags."

Garena has also confirmed to the Economic Times that the game operations will be completely localized. The company stated:

"Free Fire India will feature a fully localised infrastructure tailored to meet the needs and requirements of the authorities and our stakeholders in India."

In 2023, the firm collaborated with five popular sports personalities, including Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Sunil Chhetri. Unfortunately, the game wasn't launched on the initial announced date, i.e., September 5. The reasons behind postponing the initial release date were also not revealed. Garena has also made numerous changes in this game and added new features like Playtime limits and Toxicity Reporting mechanisms.

Many Indian clubs still have their roster in Free Fire despite the game's ban in 2022. No official tournament has been hosted in the country in the last two years. However, several teams participate in third-party esports tournaments of the title's max version. Players and fans still believe the game's esports scene will be back on track after its release. Before its ban, the game had a large Indian fan base.