Singapore to host Free Fire World Series with US$2 million prize pool
Garena announced on Friday (19 March) that the 2021 Free Fire World Series (FFWS) will be held in Singapore in May and feature a US$2 million prize pool, the largest-ever in the history of the mobile battle royale.
The prize pool for the this year's tournament is five times larger than that of the inaugural FFWS, which was hosted in 2019 in Rio, Brazil with a US$400,000 prize pool.
The 2021 FFWS in Singapore will gather 22 of the best Free Fire teams from across 14 countries and regions, namely: Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, India, Taiwan, Singapore, Bangladesh, Europe, Pakistan, Brazil, Latin America, Russia and the CIS, Malaysia, Cambodia and the Philippines (MCP), and the Middle East and North Africa (MENA).
12 teams will start the tournament from the Play-Ins on 22 May while 10 others have been directly seeded to the Finals stage on 29 May.
The 10 teams who will receive direct seeds to the 2021 FFWS' Finals stage will be comprised of the winners of the regional-level tournaments for Brazil, Latin America, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, MCP, India, Russia and the CIS, and MENA as well as the top two teams from the Play-Ins.
The 12 teams in the Play-Ins will be comprised of winners of the regional-level tournaments for Singapore, Bangladesh, Pakistan, and Europe as well as the second-placed teams for the regional-level tournaments for Brazil, Latin America, Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Taiwan, MCP, India, Russia and the CIS, and MENA.
Teams in the FFWS will battle over 6 rounds and across all three maps in the game to be the last one standing, with points awarded being awarded to each based on their ranking for each round as well as the number of kills they were able to score.
With the coronavirus pandemic continuing to affect countries all over the world, including Singapore, Garena will be organising the 2021 FFWS with the support of the Singapore Tourism Board (STB) and in close collaboration with various industry experts and organisations, such as the Singapore Cybersports and Online Gaming Association (SCOGA), in order to "ensure that all activities are in line with prevailing public health protocols and travel policies".
"We know how highly-anticipated the World Series is to our players and fans, so we’ve been working together with the relevant authorities to ensure we give them the biggest Free Fire tournament we’ve ever hosted. Safety has been and will continue to be our biggest priority as we carry out the event,” Justin Lye, Global Esports Manager at Garena, said in a statement.
“Singapore is the perfect choice for this World Series, and we are thankful for the support we have been receiving from the local government and industry experts. This will be a good opportunity to welcome the very best Free Fire players to Singapore, where Garena was founded,” Lye added.
“We are proud to support our homegrown gaming company Garena as they prepare for FFWS 2021 SG," said Jean Ng, Executive Director, Attractions, Entertainment, and Tourism Concept Development for the STB.
"The return of such events testify to Singapore’s growing reputation as an esports destination as well as our ability to host such events safely. We look forward to welcoming all qualifying teams to Singapore, and working closely with the organisers towards a safe and successful event,” add Ng.
Nicholas Khoo, co-founder of SCOGA, echoed a similar tone, saying, “This event is one of the biggest globally and will be a great boost to Singapore’s ambitions in esports. This is definitely a milestone event and we are looking forward to hosting all the participants safely in Singapore as they compete for pride and glory.”
The 2021 FFWS will be the third high-profile esports tournament to be held in Singapore this year. The Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M2 World Championship was the first event to be held in the country in January, where Filipino team Bren Esports claimed the mantle of MLBB world champions.
The Republic will also be playing host to the ONE Esports Dota 2 Singapore Major from 27 March to April 4, where 18 of the best teams from the Dota Pro Circuit's six regional leagues will compete for the lion's share of a US$500,000 prize pool and 2,700 DPC point pool.
For more esports news updates, visit https://yhoo.it/YahooEsportsSEA and check out Yahoo Esports Southeast Asia’s Facebook page.
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