Few games have gripped the global mobile gaming market quite like Free Fire — and fewer still have a story as compelling as the man who owns it. Forrest Li Xiaodong, the CEO and Garena company owner, transformed a struggling immigrant life into a billion-dollar success story.
So, who really is the dynamic force behind the legendary game, Free Fire? Meet Xiaodong, father of free fire. The Garena owner is the visionary leader who has turned Free Fire into a $4 billion juggernaut with over 1 billion downloads and 150 million monthly active users as of 2025.
Meet the Garena Company Owner, Who Made Free Fire
Born in Tianjin, China, in 1977 or 1978, Forrest Li’s story is straight from a modern-day rags-to-riches playbook.
His birth name is Li Xiaodong, and he was raised by Chinese parents who worked in state-owned companies. According to the sources, he struggled with dyslexia as a child.
Despite being affected by dyslexia, Forrest Li Xiaodong excelled academically. He studied engineering at Shanghai Jiaotong University before earning his MBA from Stanford in 2006. He adopted the English name “Forrest” during college because a tutor had difficulty pronouncing his Chinese name.
He took on $120,000 in student debt, moved to Singapore, broke, and shared a rented room with his wife in a small HDB flat. His only asset? A dream inspired by Steve Jobs’ iconic Stanford speech, “Stay Hungry, Stay Foolish”
The Beginning of The Era: Free Fire Owner Launched Garena
Forrest Li Xiaodong began with a scratch in Singapore; however, it was his vision that soon turned Free Fire into a global gaming powerhouse.
It was launched in 2009, starting humbly in a rented Singaporean shophouse, introducing it as a digital entertainment platform. With the steady growth, it made waves when it earned the Southeast Asia publishing rights for League of Legends in 2010. Today, it is the gaming division of Sea Limited (NYSE: SE), Southeast Asia’s largest tech firm.
The journey of the Garena company owner, starting from a single-room office, is a tale of calculated risks, visionary leadership, and perfect timing.
Sea Limited: The Parent Company
Originally named after Garena itself, Sea Limited rebranded in 2017 and expanded its reach into e-commerce (Shopee) and digital finance (SeaMoney). Thanks to the Garena company owner, Free Fire remains its most successful and visible property in the gaming sector.
Primary Owner: Garena (a division of Sea Limited)
Free Fire Developer: 111 Dots Studio (Vietnam-based)
Publisher and Operator: Garena
Ultimate Owner: Forrest Li Xiaodong
How the Garena CEO Built a Mobile Gaming Powerhouse?
After a huge success with Sea Limited, Garena founder Forrest Li decided to develop his own game to capture a larger market. Yes, this very vision of him led to the creation of Free Fire in 2017.
The CEO designed the game specifically as a mobile battle royale game, optimized for low-end smartphones and imperfect network conditions. Because of the feature, Free Fire quickly gained massive popularity, particularly in regions like Southeast Asia and Latin America,
While millions of players dive into Free Fire’s fast-paced battlegrounds daily, few realize the complex web of strategy, collaboration, and corporate structure that powers the experience behind the scenes.
From development partnerships to shareholder dynamics, the game’s success is built on more than just gameplay. And the Free Fire CEO knows exactly what he needs; every decision is rooted in smart business moves.
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111 Dots Studio: The Developer
To those who are unaware, Garena publishes the game Free Fire, but it was developed by Vietnam-based 111 Dots Studio. Their partnership is a perfect example of the Garena company owner strategy of external collaboration while retaining publishing dominance.
Control Through Innovation
Sea Limited operates with a dual-class share structure, giving Li 15 votes per Class B share. That means Garena CEO retains significant decision-making power, despite owning just 8.56% of shares (valued at $8.34 billion).
Where did the Garena Company Owner Lead Free Fire in 2025?
Free Fire sees a “Booyah” every second. Under the leadership of Garena’s parent company, Sea Limited, and CEO, Forrest Li, the game has continued its strong growth and maintained market dominance.
- Free Fire has generated over $2.6 billion in lifetime revenue
- The game has over 1.3 billion downloads as of October 2025.
- Peak daily active users are around 33 million (down from the 150 million peak in 2021).
- Top markets include the United States, Brazil, and Thailand
Free fire has had over 1.3 billion downloads globally
Goals pic.twitter.com/AaEIbkXirD
— MR YELLOW 🟡 (@ghost_ppx) October 26, 2025
From Free Fire to Shopee
While Garena and Free Fire laid the foundation, Shopee (e-commerce) and SeaMoney (fintech) expanded the empire. Li, the Free Fire Founder, is now one of Singapore’s richest men, with a net worth of $10.4 billion as per the report of Bloomberg and featured in Forbes Asia.
The Garena Free Fire owner also serves on elite boards like the Singapore Economic Development Board and the NUS Board of Trustees.
More Than a Game: Free Fire Game Owner Vision
Free Fire’s popularity is undeniable. It’s a bliss for online gamers across the world.
When people ask, “Who is the owner of Free Fire?” “Who is the owner of Garena? ” or search for the CEO, they’re really seeking a person and his vision to turn a simple mobile game into a worldwide phenomenon.
Whether you’re dropping into Bermuda or navigating life’s own battle royale, remember: the game may be virtual, but the dream is very real. Just remember, the CEO of Free Fire was once a debt-ridden immigrant who built a tech empire from nothing and became the Garena company owner.
Must say, the story of Forrest Li isn’t just inspirational; it’s a playbook on how to build something that outlasts trends and borders.
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FAQs
1. What is the Free Fire owner name?
Garena is the developer and publisher of Free Fire, which is owned by Sea Limited. The company was founded by Forrest Li in 2009.
2. Who is the Founder of Free Fire?
Forrest Li Xiaodong is the founder of Sea Ltd, the parent company of Garena. Moreover, he also serves as the chairman and CEO of Sea Limited.
3. When was Free Fire released?
Free Fire was released on December 8, 2017, on both Android and IOS platforms. The game was an instant hit on its release.
4. Is Li Xiaodong the Garena company owner?
No, Li Xiaodong is not the sole Garena company owner. Sea Ltd, the parent company, trades on NYSE and Li is the founder as well as chairman and CEO of the company.
