The Free Fire World Series (FFWS) 2023 is set to return to Bangkok after a grand edition last year. One major change in this edition, though, is the decrease in the overall prize pool. From $2 million, the FFWS 2023 has much lesser stakes, 50 percent less to be specific, at $1 million.

Free Fire once used to be one of the most watched mobile esports tournaments globally. The FFWS Singapore in 2021 achieved a peak of more than 5.4 million viewers, according to Esports Charts. Since then, however, the game has recorded significantly fewer viewers.

Image Credits: Garena

The decrease in the prize pool of the FFWS comes despite Garena’s decision to host only one edition in 2023. Last year, two editions happened. It was instead replaced by the Free Fire SEA Invitational (FFSI) which was only open to teams from the region.

Thus, coupled with a global economic slowdown, it isn’t surprising to see a fall in the prize pool. The game might not be as popular as it once was during the pandemic, but it is still a very popular mobile esport title. In fact, the game is set to return to India soon after it was banned in early 2022. The South Asian country is one of the biggest markets for Free Fire globally.

Everything you need to know about the FFWS 2023 Bangkok

Image Credits: Garena

The FFWS 2023 Bangkok will happen from Nov. 10 to 16. Eighteen teams from around the world will compete in the tournament for the title of champions and a share of the prize pool. So far, the following teams have qualified for the competition:

Magic Squad (Brazil)
LOUD (Brazil)
MIBR (Brazil)
Furious Gaming (Argentina)
All Glory Gaming (Mexico)
Osaka (Colombia)
POCO Star (Indonesia)
Hotshot Esports (Pakistan)
WASK (Morocco)

For the 2023 edition, Garena is bringing a new format consisting of the Knockout Stage, Points Rush, and the Finals.

Knockout Stage (Nov. 10 to 19): The 18 teams will be evenly split into three groups with two playing at a time. The top 12 teams from here will qualify for the Points Rush and the Finals.
Points Rush (Nov. 24 and 25): This stage will be a two-day event where the teams will play 12 matches to earn Headstart Points to the Finals.
Finals (Nov. 26): Finally, the 12 teams will compete across six matches to determine the champions.

All matches will be live-streamed on the Free Fire Esports YouTube channel in multiple languages.

Read Also: How to download Free Fire on a PC