Changes in the Free Fire World Series ecosystem for 2024

Garenadeveloper of Free Firehas revealed some significant changes in the competitive sector of the largest tournament series in the video game, the Free Fire World Series (FFWS). As of 2024, Garena will introduce the FFWS Southeast Asia League (SEA League) and unify all local Free Fire leagues under the FFWS brand.

Previously, local Free Fire leagues, such as the Brazilian Free Fire league and the Free Fire Master League Indonesia, operated under their own brand. However, Garena aims to unify the title’s eSports landscape under a standardized and understandable identity to grow the industry.

The newly created FFWS SEA League is divided into two tournaments: FFWS SEA Spring and Fall. The edition of spring will be held from March 22 to May 26with a prize to be distributed of $300.000. The tournament will start with six weeks of online competitionand will lead to a weekend where the Grand Finals from May 24-26.

The FFWS SEA will feature 18 teams, five of them from Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam, and three from Malaysia. Teams will qualify for regional tournaments through direct invitations or local qualifiers. As in previous years, the new roadmap will culminate with the FFWS Global Finals in November. More information on the 2024 schedule will be released in the coming weeks.

Free Fire is a mobile battle royale video game developed by Garena. The company organizes esports events and licenses titles for global partners, such as. Arena of Valor and Call of Duty: Mobile in Southeast Asia. Despite being one of the most popular esports titles in its early days, Free Fire has experienced a steady decline in esports viewership, and its esports ecosystem has suffered multiple setbacks, including layoffs at Garena’s parent company, Sea Ltd, and the banning of Free Fire in India.

While it’s not all negative, this year’s FFWS saw a slight increase in viewership compared to its 2022 edition in Bangkok according to data provided by Esports Charts. On the other hand, Garena announced the return of esports gaming in India, as well as its new Championship in the country.