The mobile battle royale was recognised for bringing NARUTO SHIPPUDEN into gameplay and beyond through immersive community activations and esports
Singapore, September 3 2026 – Garena Free Fire has won the ‘Best Use of IP or Licence’ award at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026 for its NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Chapter 2: Ninja War collaboration. Held during gamescom week in Cologne, Germany, the ninth edition of the Awards recognised standout games, companies, and talent across the global mobile games industry.
Developed and published by Garena, Free Fire is a mobile-first battle royale game serving more than 100 million daily active users worldwide. Beyond bringing fan-favorite characters and collectibles into Free Fire with close attention to detail, the NARUTO SHIPPUDEN collaboration carried that same level of authenticity into the gameplay itself. Players could wield iconic jutsu and rogue ninja abilities and explore a transformed Hidden Leaf Village within Free Fire’s map, experiencing elements that NARUTO superfans would immediately recognise.
The campaign extended beyond the game through offline community activations and esports across Asia and the Americas. Its centerpiece, Ninja Clash All Stars, brought together top players and creators from across Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, and Mexico for a two-day tournament in Bangkok. From a championship trophy inspired by the anime’s iconic kunai and scrolls to over 10 interactive themed booths, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN details were woven throughout the tournament, which welcomed nearly 5,000 visitors, generated more than 247 million video views, and trended on YouTube Gaming across six regions.
Locally tailored Free Fire x NARUTO SHIPPUDEN events in Peru, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Taiwan also brought the collaboration closer to Free Fire communities. On TikTok alone, Free Fire × NARUTO SHIPPUDEN content generated more than 3 billion views, with fans expressing their enthusiasm through their own cosplay, fan art, gameplay videos, and memes.
“We are honoured by this recognition and grateful to our players and fans for embracing the collaboration, and to our partners for trusting us to bring our shared vision to life,” said Harold Teo, Free Fire Global Producer at Garena. “With every collaboration, our teams start by understanding what makes each IP special and design experiences that feel natural to Free Fire while staying authentic to the IP. As we approach our 10th anniversary in 2027, we’re excited to celebrate how far we’ve come with our Free Fire community, and there will be plenty more to look forward to in the year ahead.”
For more information about Free Fire, visit the official website. Stay tuned for more updates and find the latest Free Fire news on Facebook and YouTube.
Free Fire can be downloaded on both the App Store and Google Play.
About Garena
Garena is a leading global online games developer and publisher. Free Fire, its self-developed mobile battle royale title, is the most downloaded mobile game in its genre for seven consecutive years, according to Sensor Tower App Performance Insights. The title has also ranked as the world’s most downloaded mobile game across multiple years since 2019.
Garena is run by passionate gamers and has a unique understanding of what gamers want. It exclusively licenses and publishes hit titles from global partners – such as Arena of Valor and Call of Duty: Mobile – in selected markets globally. Garena champions social and entertainment experiences through games, enabling its communities to engage and interact. Garena is also a leading esports organiser and hosts some of the world’s biggest esports events.
Garena is a part of Sea Limited (NYSE:SE), a global technology company. In addition to Garena, Sea’s other core businesses include its e-commerce arm, Shopee, and digital financial services arm, Monee. Sea’s mission is to better the lives of consumers and small businesses with technology.
