Headquartered in Singapore, Garena was founded in 2009 by Forrest Li and his friends as they aspired to transform their passion for entrepreneurship into a great company. Forrest named the company "Garena," a play on the words "global arena". Since its inception, Garena has seen unprecedented growth and become a leading platform provider for online and mobile entertainment and communication across Southeast Asia, Taiwan and Hong Kong, serving millions of users.
In 2010, Garena launched its first product, Garena+, an online game and social platform for people to meet, chat and play games with each other. By combining a communications tool with compelling digital content, Garena re-invented the business model for online games in Southeast Asia and created a true platform with strong network effects. Since its launch, many premium micro-transaction based online games have been exclusively available on Garena+ including three of the most popular titles in Southeast Asia: League of Legends, Heroes of Newerth, and FIFA Online 3.