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Garena has disclosed its 2023 esports roadmap for Free Fire, consisting of regional events and its flagship World Series. The company has also modified the format of its international competitions. Several regional tournaments have already begun in February in a few countries.
The publisher announced a new contest called the Free Fire SEA Invitational (FFSI), which boasts the top 18 squads from MCPS, Vietnam, Indonesia, Thailand, Europe, MEA, Taiwan, and Pakistan. It is scheduled to be hosted in May this year and will run across three weekends.
Free Fire Esports 2023 roadmap
- Local Pro Leagues - February to April
- SEA Invitationa (FFSI) - May
- Local Pro Leagues - June to October
- Free Fire World Series (FFWS) - November
The Spring Seasonal Pro Leagues will be conducted from February to April in several regions including Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, LATAM, MEA, Brazil, and Pakistan, to name a few. Meanwhile, May will see the Free Fire SEA Invitational where fans will witness a three-week-long competition.
The Fall Seasonal Pro Leagues will commence in June, where teams will compete in their regional tournaments for a slot in the World Series (FFWS). A total of 18 squads from across all the competitive regions will participate in the FFWS.
This year will have only one World Series as 2022 witnessed two seasons of the competition, each with two million prize pools in May (Sentosa) and November (Bangkok).
New Format for International tournaments
Garena has introduced a new structure for its global events consisting of two phases: the Group Stage and the Grand Finals. In total, 18 teams will compete in an international contest to be hosted across three weekends (nine days).
In the Group Stage, 18 squads will be seeded into three groups of six. They will then battle in a round robin format, meaning two groups will play on a matchday. The phase will be conducted across two weekends (six days), with 12 teams progressing to the next round.
The Grand Finals, meanwhile, will be organized over three days, where 12 teams will battle for glory and a large prize pool.
Previously, Free Fire international events used to be held on two matchdays, where the two phases, the Play-Ins and the Grand Finals, were played for one day each. Teams used to have only six matches to prove themselves, but now they will get 18 in the Grand Finals. Garena said these changes have been introduced to accelerate the global competitive scene.
