Free Fire: Could a video game app break relations between Singapore and India? At least that’s what it looks like about the Free Fire gaming app. It is not that India has banned an app for the first time. Earlier in 2020 also, the government had banned many Chinese apps. It also included the hugely popular gaming app PUBG. But Singapore’s displeasure is not because of the PUBG ban but with the closure of the Free Fire gaming app. Like PUBG, Free Fire is also a battleground survival game. This game is developed by Singapore based company Sea ltd and its marketing also does the same.
huge popularity in india
In 2020, the popularity of Free Fire increased a lot in India. The reason for this was the ban on PUBG. In the market, the competition of PUBG was only with Free Fire. Due to the ban on PUBG, people in India were looking for another gaming app. Free Fire got the benefit of this. In a very short time, the popularity of Free Fire has increased a lot in India. The share of Indians in its active users worldwide reached 10%. Bollywood actor Hrithik Roshan entered this game. From this you can guess the popularity of this game in India.
When did the government ban Free Fire?
In February this year, suddenly the brakes were put on the increasing speed of Free Fire in India. The government banned this game. This ban broke the hearts of the users of its game in India. Also, this shocked Sea Ltd and the government of Singapore. The setback to the users of this game can be easily guessed. This is a wonderful game. You can also make some money playing it. For example, a tournament held in India had a prize pool of Rs 1 crore. Old users can still play this game. But new users will not get access to it.
Bad effect on the company’s shares
Sea Ltd shares have fallen sharply. After the ban, its investors lost $ 16 billion in just one day. It is worth noting that India’s share in the gaming revenue of this company is only 2.6 percent. The ban in India had a huge impact on investor sentiment. But, there are other reasons as well, due to which there was a big fall in its stock.
Ashneer Grover’s name removed from BharatPe website but Ashneer Grover did not remove company name from his LinkedIn
Sea Ltd is the largest technology company in Singapore. This company not only makes games, but it is also in other important businesses. It also controls social commerce company Shopee and financial services division SeaMoney. Its CEO Forrest Lee is a member of the Singapore Economic Development Board.
Why did India impose restrictions?
In India, the government did not just ban Sea Ltd. The government also banned 54 such apps, which are related to China. So does Free Fire have a connection to China? The answer to this question is yes. Forrest Lee was born in China. However, he is a citizen of Singapore. But, the trouble is that China’s social media company Tencent Holdings is the largest shareholder of Sea Ltd.
,