Garena Free Fire has been awarded the “Best Use of IP or Licence” title at the Pocket Gamer Mobile Games Awards 2026 for its major crossover campaign, NARUTO SHIPPUDEN Chapter 2: Ninja War.
The award was presented in Cologne, Germany, during gamescom week, honoring leading achievements across the global mobile gaming sector.
In-Game Integration & Authenticity
Developed and published by Garena, the mobile battle royale title serves over 100 million daily active users worldwide. The licensed partnership translated the anime property into core gameplay mechanics, introducing character skins, themed collectibles, functional jutsu skills, and an in-game redesign of the iconic Hidden Leaf Village within the main battle map.
Global Esports & Experiential Activations
The licensing strategy extended into offline activations and international esports. The campaign’s flagship event, Ninja Clash All Stars, brought together top players and content creators from Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Brazil, and Mexico for a two-day tournament in Bangkok. Featuring custom anime-inspired trophies and interactive brand booths, the event welcomed nearly 5,000 physical attendees, generated over 247 million video views, and trended on YouTube Gaming across six territories.
Regional offline events were deployed across Peru, Bangladesh, Malaysia, and Taiwan. Across social media platforms, user-generated content for the Free Fire x NARUTO SHIPPUDEN campaign generated over 3 billion views on TikTok.
Executive Commentary & Franchise Future
Harold Teo, Free Fire Global Producer at Garena, commented:
“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. 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.”
Further details regarding gameplay updates and future IP collaborations are available on the official Free Fire website, as well as their community channels on Facebook and YouTube. The title remains available for download via the App Store and Google Play.
