According to third-party data and executives in the gaming business, Free Fire Max, a “battle royale” game published by Singapore-based Garena, has surpassed Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) as the most popular esports title in India.
Like BGMI, Free Fire Max is a virtual space game where players compete against each other, either alone or in groups of four, to be the last person or team standing. Compared to BGMI, which features more realistic surroundings and weapons, Free Fire Max uses more imaginative elements with both players and weapons.
According to data from media analytics company Comscore, Free Fire Max surpassed BGMI in September 2023 and by November, had become the most popular esports game in the nation, with over 28 million monthly unique users, compared to BGMI’s 21 million players.
Free Fire MAX Tops Charts
Comscore reports that in February 2022, Free Fire Max managed to avoid being banned by the authorities, just like its sister game Free Fire. In June 2023, a month after BGMI reopened for business, it momentarily lost the top place to them but reclaimed it after three months.
Gaming executives stated that a broader audience, particularly those outside of major cities, can play the game due to a reduced processing power requirement.
Anuj Tandon, chief executive of gaming at media and gaming firm JetSynthesys said, “We have always seen a much larger base of players from smaller cities and towns with low-specification smartphones opt for Free Fire compared to other esports games.”
Furthermore, according to statistics from market research company Sensor Tower, Free Fire Max surpasses BGMI in terms of in-app purchases, demonstrating that a wealthier base does not always translate into larger earnings.
Akshat Rathee, co-founder of esports firm Nodwin Gaming said, “Free Fire might have a lower average revenue per user (ARPU) compared to some games, but they have a very loyal and robust audience that keeps coming back through all the troubles that the game faced.”
Free Fire MAX has indeed achieved an incredible feat by surpassing the industry giant BGMI.
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