"Creators whose videos are game-centric will face the brunt": Lokesh Gamer on Free Fire ban in India

With Free Fire being banned, the Indian gaming community has been left in complete disarray, and many are wondering what the future of the game in the nation is. Unless the ban is revoked, there will be a significant impact on the entirety of the esports scene and content creation.

This is particularly relevant given that Garena has already announced a roadmap for tournaments in 2022, with crores in the prize pool. Aside from that, the game already has one of the highest viewerships in India.

Himanshu Chandnani of Sportskeeda interacted with several prominent personalities including casters, content creators, and professional players, along with a number of other stakeholders and experts, all of whom expressed their opinions on the suspension of Garena's flagship title.

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"Many esports players have been working hard for years, and outright banning a game will hugely affect them": Lokesh Gamer on the effect of the Free Fire's ban

The following is an excerpt from a discussion with Lokesh Gamer during the livestream:

Q1: What was the reason for Free Fire MAX not being banned?

Lokesh Gamer: It is not clear why Free Fire MAX is not banned in India, given that the two games share a server. Perhaps this version has been overlooked by the government.

Additionally, Garena has made no public announcements clarifying why this version was not banned and is still available on Google Play.

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Q2: How will esports be affected due to the game's ban?

Lokesh Gamer: If the game is banned, the impact on content makers will be slightly less since we will continue to be able to play other titles. However, as a former team owner, I am aware that esports offers athletes a substantial revenue stream.

Many of them have been working hard for years, and outright banning a game will hugely affect esports players since they would lose their primary source of revenue.

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Q3: What, specifically, will be the impact of the ban on content creators?

Lokesh Gamer: I cannot deny that the ban will have a bearing on Free Fire content creators. Personally, I post other types of videos, such as challenge videos, so there is a choice. However, it will have an influence on our viewership and consistency.

The creators whose videos are always game-centric will face the brunt, since switching to another game may result in a substantial fall in their audience. Moreover, those players who have just started their journey in this field will be greatly affected.