publisher
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed works, such as books, newsp ...
of free online games. It is the digital entertainment arm of parent company
Sea Ltd
Sea Limited (Stylized as: sea) is a tech conglomerate headquartered in Singapore. Established in 2009 by Forrest Li, Sea was initially founded as Garena, a game development and publishing company known for its ''Free Fire'' title. The company ...
, which was formerly named Garena.
The company distributes game titles on Garena+ in various countries across Southeast Asia and Taiwan, including the multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) games '' League of Legends'' and ''
Heroes of Newerth
''Heroes of Newerth'' (''HoN'') was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' custom ma ...
'', the online
football (soccer)
Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a team sport played between two teams of 11 players who primarily use their feet to propel the ball around a rectangular field called a pitch. The objective of the game is ...
game ''
FIFA Online 3
''FIFA Online 3'' is a free-to-play massively multiplayer online football game which was announced on 13 August 2012 and entered the 1st closed beta on 20 September 2012 to 23 September of that same year in South Korea. On December 18, 2012, it wa ...
'', the
first-person shooter
First-person shooter (FPS) is a sub-genre of shooter video games centered on gun and other weapon-based combat in a first-person perspective, with the player experiencing the action through the eyes of the protagonist and controlling the pl ...
Garena Free Fire
''Garena Free Fire'', also known as ''Free Fire (FF)'', is a Battle Royale game developed and published by Garena for Android and iOS. It became the most downloaded mobile game globally in 2019. , ''Free Fire'' had surpassed 150 million daily ...
'', which had over 150 million daily active users globally as of May 2021.
History
Game developments
In November 2011, Garena announced its publishing rights for the team-based shooter game, ''Firefall'', in Southeast Asia and Taiwan.
In December 2011, Garena announced their collaboration with online games developer, Changyou, to publish and operate the popular 3D martial arts game, ''Duke of Mount Deer'', in Taiwan. The game was the first MMORPG game available through Garena+. The game combines a classic Chinese story with the latest 3D rendering technology and cinematic quality graphics. ''Duke of Mount Deer'' was created by several top online-gaming experts from China and South Korea and has gained much popularity in China. The same month, the "Dominion" game mode for Garena's ''League of Legends'' players in Singapore and Malaysia.
In 2012, it launched its first product, Garena+, an online game and social platform for people to discover, download and play online games.
In 2014, the World Startup Report valued Garena as a 1 billion internet company and ranked it as the largest internet company in Singapore.
Recent updates
In March 2015, the Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan (OTPP), one of the largest pension funds in the world, invested in Garena, valuing the company at over US$2.5 billion.
In May 2017, Garena was renamed to Sea Limited. However, Garena was retained as a brand name of Sea Limited (aka Sea Group).
In October 2017, Sea Limited filed for an initial public offering on the
New York Stock Exchange
The New York Stock Exchange (NYSE, nicknamed "The Big Board") is an American stock exchange in the Financial District of Lower Manhattan in New York City. It is by far the world's largest stock exchange by market capitalization of its listed c ...
(NYSE) and aimed to raise US$1 billion. Before the IPO,
Tencent
Tencent Holdings Ltd. () is a Chinese multinational technology and entertainment conglomerate and holding company headquartered in Shenzhen. It is one of the highest grossing multimedia companies in the world based on revenue. It is also the w ...
was the major shareholder of Sea Limited, for around 20% of outstanding shares and is currently at 18.7%. It was followed by Blue Dolphins Venture, established by Forrest Li, for 15%. Li personally owned 20% shares, and Chief Technology Officer, Gang Ye, 10%.
In January 2021, Garena acquired Vancouver-based Phoenix Labs, the developers of '' Dauntless''. The acquisition did not affect the operations of Phoenix Labs or ''Dauntless'', but helped Garena expand its international presence.
As of the second quarter of 2021, Garena recorded 725 million active users, 45% more than the year prior, while the number of paid users grew 85% year-on-year, reaching 92 million. The outlook for Garena is expected to decline in 2022, after reports in March 2022 suggested that Garena will post US$2.9 to US$3.1 billion in bookings for the year, down from US$4.6 billion in 2021. The muted forecast would be Garena's first decline in business ever. The ban imposed on its ''Free Fire'' title in India across both Google Play and
Apple
An apple is an edible fruit produced by an apple tree (''Malus domestica''). Apple fruit tree, trees are agriculture, cultivated worldwide and are the most widely grown species in the genus ''Malus''. The tree originated in Central Asia, wh ...
app stores
An App Store (or app marketplace) is a type of digital distribution platform for computer software called applications, often in a mobile context. Apps provide a specific set of functions which, by definition, do not include the running of the co ...
has been cited as a contributory factor.
Products
Garena+ is an online game and social platform that has an interface similar to instant messaging platforms. Garena+ allows gamers to develop buddy lists, chat with friends online and check on game progress and achievements. Gamers can create their own unique identity by customizing their avatar or changing their names. Gamers are also able to form groups or clans, and chat with multiple gamers simultaneously through public or private channels through Garena+. Garena+ users use a virtual currency, Shells.
Other products include BeeTalk, TalkTalk.
Events and tournaments
In May 2012, Garena launched the
Garena Premier League
The Garena Premier League (GPL) was a professional ''League of Legends'' esports league with teams in Southeast Asia (included teams from Taiwan, Hong Kong, Macau before 2015 and Vietnam before 2018). It was founded in 2012. The opening event took ...
(GPL), a six-month-long online professional gaming league with more than 100 matches to be played. The first season of GPL is a League of Legends competition which comprises six professional teams. The teams are ''Bangkok Titans'' (Thailand), ''Kuala Lumpur Hunters'' (Malaysia), ''Manila Eagles'' (Philippines), ''Saigon Jokers'' (Vietnam), '' Taipei Assassins'' (Taiwan) and ''Singapore Sentinels'' (Singapore), which represent top players from respective countries. GPL matches are captured and broadcast online along with commentaries, which are available for viewers to watch on the GPL official website.
In January 2013, Garena announced the second season of the Garena Premier League, which would start on 4 January 2013. Garena Premier League 2013 includes two new teams from Taiwan and Vietnam, bringing the total number of teams to eight. The teams are: AHQ, Saigon Fantastic Five, Bangkok Titans, Kuala Lumpur Hunters, Manila Eagles, Saigon Jokers, Taipei Assassins and Singapore Sentinels.
In November 2014, the Garena e-Sports Stadium, a dedicated venue for esports, opened in
Neihu District
Neihu District is a district of Taipei City, Taiwan. Neihu means "inner lake." The older name originates from the Ketagalan word ''Tayour'' (transliterated by the Dutch as ''Cattajo''), meaning woman's head ornament.
Many mountainous roads and ...
,
Taipei
Taipei (), officially Taipei City, is the capital and a special municipality of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Located in Northern Taiwan, Taipei City is an enclave of the municipality of New Taipei City that sits about southwest of the n ...
. The studio was built partially to accommodate the beginning of the League of Legends Masters Series, the top-level Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau ''LoL'' league that was spin-off of the GPL.
In January 2015, Garena launched Iron Solari League, a women's ''League of Legends'' tournament in the
Philippines
The Philippines (; fil, Pilipinas, links=no), officially the Republic of the Philippines ( fil, Republika ng Pilipinas, links=no),
* bik, Republika kan Filipinas
* ceb, Republika sa Pilipinas
* cbk, República de Filipinas
* hil, Republ ...
. It is a monthly event organized in the second half of each month. It aims to encourage participation by under-represented groups and is open to all those who self-identify as female.
Besides competitive tournaments, Garena also organizes events to cater to users to meet and connect offline. This includes the annual Garena Carnival held in Singapore and Malaysia.
Controversies
On 3 February 2015, Garena eSports announced limitations on the number of gay and transgender people participating in a women-only League of Legends tournament, due to concerns that LGBT participants might have an "unfair advantage". This led to gamers questioning the decision, while League of Legends developer Riot Games responded that "LGBT players are welcome at official LoL tourneys". On 4 February 2015, Garena apologized and subsequently removed the restrictions.
Age of Empires
''Age of Empires'' is a series of historical real-time strategy video games, originally developed by Ensemble Studios and published by Xbox Game Studios. The first game was ''Age of Empires'', released in 1997. Nine total games within the ser ...
Heroes of Newerth
''Heroes of Newerth'' (''HoN'') was a multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA) video game originally developed by S2 Games for Microsoft Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. The game idea was derived from the ''Warcraft III: The Frozen Throne'' custom ma ...
Call of Duty
''Call of Duty'' is a first-person shooter video game Media franchise, franchise published by Activision. Starting out in 2003, it first focused on games set in World War II. Over time, the series has seen games set in the midst of the Cold W ...
'' and '' Black Shot'' for players in the region.
Garena-published games: