For those who may not know, Garena Free Fire was released for Android and iOS in December 2017 by Garena Studios and developed by 111dots Studio (Vietnam). The game is similar to other mobile Battle Royale titles like PUBG Mobile and Clash Royale but is optimized for lower-end smartphones. Each match includes only 50 players and typically lasts just 10 minutes, much shorter than PUBG Mobile, which has allowed Garena Free Fire to reach a vast number of players worldwide.
However, Free Fire has increasingly revealed many shortcomings. From falling behind competitors in terms of graphics to a heavy pay-to-win trend that frustrates players. A few years ago, when gamers’ tastes were different from now, it was entirely understandable to accept a product with moderate visuals like Free Fire.
Now, with numerous competitors releasing updates or new games with higher-end graphics, combined with players upgrading their phones, gamers are no longer keen on the somewhat “ugly” visuals of Free Fire.
Furthermore, Free Fire’s development direction from the beginning has been completely different from its competitors. It follows a pay-to-win model. While survival shooter games typically strive to create balance among characters and weapon systems, the external skins applied to characters or weapons are merely for aesthetics, or as many gamers say, to enhance the “fashion” aspect. They look better and more appealing, but generally do not affect the weapon’s functionality or increase power dynamics in the game.
However, this does not exist in Free Fire. In this survival shooter game, each new character can potentially be “buffed” for greater strength and skills compared to older characters, and each new weapon skin can provide better combat effectiveness than standard weapons. As a result, Vietnamese players even label Free Fire as a “trash game.” This reflects the disappointment of many local gamers towards a game that was once a significant source of pride.