Free Fire unban in India: Is the game coming back as Free Fire MAX?

Since BGMI returned to the Indian gaming scene after a 10-month-long ban, a Free Fire unban with an official Free Fire MAX re-release is looking like a possibility. On February 14, 2022, the government of India blocked 54 Chinese applications that included one of India’s most favorite battle royale titles. However, recently, Battlegrounds Mobile India made a roaring return, leaving the fanbase of Garena's title hopeful of a return of their favorite game as well.

Well, the good news for them is that the co-founder of Chemin Esports, Diptanshu Saini, has confirmed the possibility of Free Fire unban in India. He confirmed that the game is set to come back to India with an official re-release of the MAX version of the game.

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Is it an unban or the official re-release of Free Fire MAX?

The Instagram story that reignited the rumor of Free Fire unban. (Image via Instagram)

Even though Garena hasn’t made any official statement regarding the game's return since the ban back on February 22, 2022, a simple Instagram post from Diptanshu Saini has re-ignited the rumors of the game’s return.

Diptanshu Saini of Chemin Esports shared a snap of their FFPL 2021 trophy on Instagram with a caption stating his happiness as “the wait is finally over.” Then, to answer Sportskeeda's questions regarding the possibilities of the game's unban in the country, he said that it will make its return to India with the launch of the MAX version of the game.

One of Diptanshu Saini's recent posts (Image via Instagram)

It is also worth noting that, unlike the App Store, the MAX version was never removed from the Play Store after it was banned in India. Also, Garena has not conducted any other official tournament since the game’s ban.

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Can the Free Fire unban boost the esports landscape in India?

There were plenty of national and international tournaments organized by Garena that offered huge prize pools for the participants and the winning teams. The game had already announced four official tournaments in 2022 before it got banned in the country.

If the game does make its return with the official re-release of the MAX version, it will surely give the Indian esports scene the push it needs to reach the next level. The game will regain popularity in the country in no time, and different third-party hosts will also start cashing in on the tournaments.

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Be it the return of the title or its re-release as the MAX version of the game, the news will definitely elate the fans of the Battle Royale.