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The primary-ever Free Fireplace SEA Invitational (FFSI) is right here. Changing the mid-year World Sequence (FFWS), this competitors will see the highest 18 groups from throughout Asia competing for the title of champions and a share of the $300,000 prize pool.
The FFSI takes place between Might 12 – 28 in Thailand. The 18 groups will compete throughout a league stage with the highest 12 advancing to the grand finals. On this article, we check out why Garena launched this new match and its numerous adjustments.
Supply: Garena / Youtube
Why did Garena change its Free Fireplace Esports Technique in 2023?
Free Fireplace was as soon as the main cellular esports of the world, having gained the Esports Cell Recreation of the Yr award twice in 2020 and 2021 on the Esports Awards.
The awards got here for a superb purpose too. Garena was doing a exceptional job in rising the sport globally. This included a correct relegation-based league in Brazil and quite a few regional competitions around the globe. The sport was so well-liked that the Free Fireplace World Sequence (FFWS) broke viewership data.
An instance is the FFWS Singapore 2021. The match achieved a peak viewership of 5.4 million viewers, making it one of many most-watched esports tournaments in historical past. Nonetheless, since this excessive, Free Fireplace esports hasn’t been in a position to carry out nicely.
Supply: Free Fireplace World Sequence
There are a number of causes for this. Firstly are the problems at Garena itself as the corporate has laid off a big portion of its workers on the again of big losses by its father or mother firm, Sea Ltd. It even shut down its streaming platform, Booyah.
Secondly is the sport’s ban in considered one of its hottest areas — India. The sport was pulled down from the appliance shops within the nation for alleged information privateness causes in February 2022.
These issues coupled with the top of the pandemic have led to a pointy decline within the viewership of Free Fireplace esports. The FFWS 2022 Bangkok, for instance, recorded 90 per cent lesser viewership as in comparison with the FFWS Singapore 2021.
Thus, Garena felt the necessity to implement adjustments to its general esports program. This included a controversial change of the Brazilian Free Fireplace League into an invite-only match and the canceling of the mid-season FFWS, which has been changed by the FFSI.
What’s completely different within the FFSI 2023?
Firstly, being a SEA-only match will permit Garena to correctly concentrate on the area. One of many essential issues about that is that the schedule can be saved in thoughts for the SEA viewers. The FFWS Bangkok for instance, regardless of taking place in Thailand, noticed matches occur late within the evening to accommodate Brazilian viewers.
You probably have been watching Free Fireplace esports tournaments previously, you will need to have seen the brief format of worldwide tournaments. They normally adopted a two-day format consisting of a Play-Ins stage and the Finals.
Supply: Garena
This time, nonetheless, the FFSI can have a two-week group stage adopted by a three-day closing. Garena gave two causes behind this prolonged format for the league . Primary was to offer groups with a higher platform to exhibit their expertise and consistency as an alternative of a one-day give-it-all format.
Secondly, the corporate mentioned that the brand new format will permit followers to utterly immerse and observe their favourite groups within the competitors.
The success of this new format may outline Free Fireplace esports within the years to come back.
FFSI 2023: All the things you have to know
The 18 groups have been cut up into three teams of six groups every for the group stage. The group stage will occur on Might 12 to 14 and Might 19 to 21. The teams will compete in a round-robin format (two teams at a time) with every crew enjoying 24 matches.
Supply: Garena
In the long run, the highest 12 groups will advance to the FFSI 2023 Finals on Might 26 to twenty-eight. Right here, they’ll compete throughout 18 matches (six per day) to find out the champions.
The match can be dwell streamed on the Free Fireplace Esports YouTube channel.
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