Blockman Go could be Garena’s next big hit after Free Fire

Investors in Sea Group have long fretted over the company’s ability to diversify its business from Free Fire, the wildly successful battle royale game produced by its Garena subsidiary.

Last week, Garena officially launched Blockman Go, an online gaming platform that has elements of Free Fire, Minecraft, and Roblox.

Could this emerge as another engine to power the gaming unit, even as it deals with slowing growth?

Anonymous beginnings

Despite its recent launch date, Blockman Go has been in beta mode for years.

It was published by an entity called Studio Cubo Private Limited, a Singapore-incorporated company. According to regulatory filings, however, Studio Cubo is wholly owned by Garena Limited, which is based in the Cayman Islands. The company’s name was only changed to Garena Games Private Limited last month.

This cloak of anonymity is no surprise. Sea has previously mentioned that some of its games “are being tested anonymously in various markets not under the Garena name to avoid the halo effect of the Garena brand to give us better data.”

Presumably, the gaming unit has judged Blockman Go to be ready for prime time and has set it for a wider release.

The dilemma of pay to win

Blockman Go adopts the same freemium model that made Free Fire so popular.

The app is free to download for users, and once inside, they can choose from over a thousand mini games that span different genres, from first-person shooter, to racing, to strategy.

Examples of games available in Blockman Go

While games on the platform are free to access and play, Garena earns money from users who wish to purchase skins and accessories for their avatars. These have to be paid for using a combination of colored cubes.

Gold cubes are bought with cash, while blue ones can be earned after viewing a 30-second ad – another avenue for monetization.

Within the games themselves, there are also stores which sell various items. Depending on what a user is playing, this could range from weapons to skills to decorations.

The freemium model is well-established. However, some user reviews of Blockman Go have highlighted the difficulty of fighting AI opponents, especially if players do not wish to buy additional upgrades. The concern is that users have no choice but to pay to win, resulting in them spending significant amounts to complete these games.

Playing in the sandbox

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