“Free Fire has helped me through a very rough phase of my life, I will always be grateful for it”: Naitik “Old Monk” Khoshto

Over the last few years, the Indian Free Fire esports scene has had significant growth in terms of the prize pool, viewership, and community participation.

Both esports athletes and content creators have been benefiting from how well the game has been doing off-late, and Free Fire has most definitely helped India’s mobile gaming scene enjoy a considerable boom in recent months.

TSM FTX’s Naitik “Old Monk” Khosto has been quite vocal about the positives of Free Fire and how the title has been able to enrich his life in past years. In an exclusive conversation with Abhishek Mallick of Sportskeeda Esports, Naitik opened up about the early days of his Free Fire career and what inspires him to keep grinding his way to be the best in the nation.

Here is an excerpt of the conversation.

Q. Naitik, tell us a bit about your life before competitive esports? What was your childhood like, and what other aspirations did you have apart from seeking a profession in video games?

Naitik: I was a science student before coming to esports, and my childhood indeed was great! I had loads of fun as a kid, and I was also very athletic, as I excelled in a lot of outdoor activities and even played at the state and national levels in multiple games.

Before coming into esports, I wanted to become a doctor, but now, I am just passionate about my career in the video games industry, so I am working hard to achieve my goals in this field.

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Q. Talk to us a bit about your relationship with Free Fire. Why did you choose to start a professional career in Garena’s mobile battle royale?

Naitik: I am very grateful to Free Fire as it was able to help me through a very rough phase in my life. Garena’s title had enabled me to deal with major issues, because of which I will always have a soft corner for the game in my heart.

I never look down on any profession, no job is bigger or smaller, and I feel that money should never matter to you as long as you love and are passionate about what you are doing. Hence, being a professional athlete in Garena Free Fire is a lot more than a job for me.

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Q. How are things at home? Are your parents supportive of your passion for competitive video games?

Naitik: Though my parents are supportive now, they were pretty doubtful initially, especially when I decided to step into the esports scene.

They were not able to fathom how a video game can help make careers and pull in money. However, when they saw me working hard and making a decent income, their doubts cleared, and they have been quite happy and supportive ever since.

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Q. How has the transition been like for you from Sixth Sense to TSM FTX? Would you say that you had to make a lot of changes to your mindset and game plan?

Naitik: Since TSM signed us right before the Pro League started, they did not want to disrupt or change things. For TSM, it was a period to get to know our team better and learn more about the India Free Fire competitive scene.

TSM hasn't made any major changes as we haven't moved to the team house yet, but they did take the time to meet with each of us and listen to what's going well and what can improve — they want to help us become the best Free Fire team in India.

They have been helpful with trusting decisions to us, especially when it comes to roster updates. For example, when it came to our latest acquisition of AMADRON, TSM asked me who I felt would be an excellent fit for the roster to try out, and I personally suggested his name for the sniper role. Now, he is on the starting lineup with us.

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Q. Talk to us about some of the quality-of-life advantages that TSM can provide you? What are some of the expectations do the org has from you and the rest of the team?

Naitik: TSM is in the process of securing us a team house in Mumbai! So, we are very excited about that and what it will bring — food and cleaning will be taken care of by the organization so we can focus on training to become the best.

We don’t have a coach yet, but TSM has been exploring with the team and will take time to find a great coach who can be the right fit for us.

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Q. What specific role do you play in the roster? Talk to us about some of the responsibilities that you shoulder on and off the server.

Naitik: My role is that of the rusher inside the game. I just have to clear the spot we need, and sometimes I will have to support JAY during rushes.

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Q. With Battlegrounds Mobile India finally live, would you say that it was able to affect the nation’s Free Fire scene in any way?

Naitik: I think it’s great for the scene and will ultimately help grow the entire mobile gaming community, make it a more thriving market. It is a very popular game like Free Fire, and I look forward to seeing both titles grow over the next few years.

Regarding it impacting Free Fire, I think the game has a different type of player base who enjoy what Battlegrounds Mobile India offers, while Free Fire faithfuls like the content and dynamic characters in Garena’s title.

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Q8. What would you say are the biggest issues in Free Fire right now, and what steps do you feel Garena should take to mitigate much of the players’ problems at the moment?

Naitik: I think right now the game has two major issues: Beaston and Crono.

According to what I feel about the game at present, I think Garena should remove these two. However, if removal is not an option, then reworking their abilities is something that the publishers should look into.

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Q. What are your thoughts on the Indian Free Fire esports scene as it stands today? How do you feel about the rising talent and the pool of talented amateurs yet to leave their mark?

Naitik: Indian esports is growing quickly, and we are seeing a lot of talented players rise, with more to come. I just hope that one day our Indian team to go for the world series and leave their mark by winning there.

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Q. What is the future like for TSM FTX Old Monk, both as an esports athlete as well as a YouTube content creator?

Naitik: I want to become the best Free Fire player in India and look to be the best in the world. And though I am not too passionate about YouTube and content creation, I will start working on those departments as well.