Garena has officially unveiled the highly anticipated Free Fire Esports 2024 roadmap. The major changes include rebranding all local leagues under the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) banner and the introduction of a new mid-year global tournament. The roadmap encompasses esports tournaments in major regions such as Brazil, Southeast Asia, Latin America, Middle East, Africa, and Pakistan.
Image Credits: Garena
Free Fire Esports 2024 Roadmap: FFWS to headline the year
Garena has announced that it will be rebranding local leagues to the FFWS brand, with the schedule for these events already in place. The FFWS MEA 2024 will feature one season, while the FFWS Brazil, SEA, and LATAM Leagues will each have two seasons.
Image Credits: Garena
The culmination of these events will be the FFWS Global Finals, scheduled to take place in November 2024 as a LAN event. Free Fire is also considering additional esports tournaments in regions such as Pakistan, where a slot at the mid-year global tournament will be available.
Although Garena has not disclosed the prize pools for the tournaments yet, the overall prize money in Free Fire esports has been decreasing in recent years. This poses a challenge as Free Fire esports viewership has also been declining. The success of Free Fire esports in 2024 hinges on the effectiveness of this roadmap.
Mid-year global tournament unveiled: Will it take place at the Esports World Cup in Saudi Arabia?
Image Credits: Esports World Cup Foundation
Garena’s press release for the Free Fire Esports 2024 roadmap suggests that the developer will not be organizing the mid-year global tournament. Instead, the release states that “the mobile battle royale will participate in a mid-year global tournament in July.”
This implies that Free Fire will be part of another global esports tournament in July, most likely the Esports World Cup in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. The Esports World Cup Foundation has indicated that the tournament will feature the most popular games globally, with the largest prize pool in esports history. It seems Free Fire will now be part of this prestigious tournament.
Garena has stated that the mid-year global tournament will include 18 teams from the FFWS Sea Spring, FFWS Brazil, FFWS LATAM, as well as teams from MEA and Pakistan. Furthermore, the winner of this tournament will secure a direct slot in the FFWS Global Finals 2024, elevating the stakes of the competition.
Free Fire India release still a question
Despite initial plans for a localized version release in India, Free Fire’s launch in the country has been significantly delayed. This delay casts doubt on the future of Free Fire in India, especially after Garena’s ambitious plans for the game in the country, including esports initiatives and signing on cricketing legend MS Dhoni as the brand ambassador.
Image Credits: Garena
Furthermore, the delayed release of Free Fire in India comes at a crucial time when global interest in Free Fire esports has waned. India has been a significant market for the battle royale title since its inception, and a return to the country could rejuvenate interest in the global esports scene.
The Free Fire Esports 2024 roadmap makes no mention of India or the participation of Indian teams in global tournaments. Additionally, no information has been provided by Garena regarding the cause of the delay. Fans in India are eagerly awaiting the game’s release.
