How Garena Free Fire Is Fighting To Stay Popular Among Its Fellow Battle Royale Goliaths

gamespot.com:

Garena Free Fire, the popular free-to-play mobile battle royale game,overhauled its popular Bomb Squad mode today. The mode eschews the game's typical battle royale gameplay and focuses on a smaller group of players on a smaller map as they attempt to protect or diffuse a bomb. In this way it feels a little closer to Counter-Strike.

In tandem with the mode's release, we spoke with the game's producer, Harold Teo, over email about what makes the updated mode different from the previous version, whether this is the future trajectory for the game, and why Garena Free Fire isn't often in the battle royale discussion despite boasting comparable and often better player numbers than games like Fortnite and PUBG Battlegrounds.

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Now Playing: Garena Free Fire — Bomb Squad 5v5 Trailer

GameSpot: What makes this updated Bomb Squad mode different?

Harold Teo: There are several new features added to the new Bomb Squad: 5v5 mode we think could really transform the Bomb Squad experience among players. Of the many, two notable features are the new map, El Pastelo, and the new 5v5 matchmaking system introduced. These two features are likely to influence team dynamics and the tempo of the matches. With an expanded squad, teams will have to rethink their gameplay and strategies, while the new terrain provides opportunities and decoys players can leverage or fall prey to.

This mode seems to move the game away from the larger battle royale-style gameplay. Does this feel like the long-term trajectory of the game? Smaller modes with