Garena is changing local Free Fire tournaments to FFWS in 2024

As the 2023 esports season comes to a close, Garena has given a sneak peek of what the upcoming year looks like. The biggest change is that local leagues are now being renamed to carry the FFWS branding.

In a press release, Garena said that this change was being implemented to “elevate its esports ecosystem” through standardised branding and promoting a common identity for global audiences. Basically, this means that local esports tournaments will be called FFWS as well with different regional names.

Currently, Garena has revealed how this will be implemented in the Southeast Asia (SEA) region.

FFWS SEA unveiled with two editions leading to the Global Finals

The FFWS SEA will open for teams in Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand, and Vietnam. It will feature two editions in 2024, namely the Spring and Fall.
Each season is set to feature 18 teams. The country-wise split is as follows:

Indonesia: 5 teams
Thailand: 5 teams
Vietnam: 5 teams
Malaysia: 3 teams

These teams will compete in the FFWS SEA 2024 through qualifiers or direct invites.

The FFWS SEA Spring 2024 will happen from March 22 to May 26 with a $300,000 prize pool. The local qualifiers, on the other hand, will happen in January and February. The details of the Fall Season haven’t been revealed yet, however. Additionally, the FFWS SEA Spring and Fall Seasons will lead to the FFWS Global Finals in November 2024.

The 2023 and 2022 editions of the FFWS happened in Bangkok, Thailand. It remains to be seen where the tournament happens next year.

What does this mean for Free Fire esports?

The common branding is an unusual step for Free Fire esports – and something that isn’t seen in other games. This is because it could cause confusion regarding the overall roadmap to fans. Nonetheless, Garena has said that this will benefit its ecosystem. One way that this might happen is by bringing more recognition to FFWS, the most established Free Fire esports competition currently.

The newer format also features invited teams. This comes after the Brazilian Free Fire League (LBFF) also got an invite-only format in 2023. However, the FFWS SEA will have open qualifiers for different regions.

The invited teams, on the other hand, will receive more stability and opportunities to invest deeper into the game. This move happened after PUBG Mobile, the chief rival for Free Fire, launched its partnered Super Leagues (PMSL). As a part of this, certain teams received guaranteed slots and support to be a part of the league.

Only time will tell, though, how the new changes fare out for the Free Fire esports ecosystem.