The Esports Advocate has learned that several esports organizations are either walking away or contemplating an exit from the Brazilian Free Fire League (LBFF), citing a lack of support from Garena in the area.
One person familiar with the situation we talked to (who asked not to be identified because they were not authorized to speak on the matter) described the state of the league as โdying,โ mainly due to a lack of communication and direction from league owner Garena Brazil.
Brazilian esports organization FURIA told TEA Friday that it would be leaving the LBFF, and issued the following statement:
We inform that FURIA chose not to participate in the next stage of the Brazilian Free Fire League (LBFF). We do not rule out returning in the near future, believing in Garena’s efforts to reformulate the league, but the moment is still not ideal to continue in the project. FURIA continues in Free Fire through its Free Fire Emulator line.
TEA reached out to Garena Brazil on Thursday, but the company did not respond to our request for comment, as of this writing.
Earlier this week, the North American Esports organization TSM announced that it would be exiting the league and effectively the country because Free Fire Mobile was the last title it competed in in the region. The organization used to have a Wild Rift team but it was disbanded after Riot Games Brazil abandoned its esports plans for the title in that region.
TSM VP of Esports Dominic Kallas said in a statement issued to TEA on Thursday:
TSM did exit WildRift last year due in large part to changes in the competitive ecosystem and recently announced our exit from Free Fire on February 6th. There were a lot of factors that went into this decision. While it is unfortunate, we still see Brazil as an essential part of our global expansion. If opportunities present themselves in Brazil later this year, we will definitely reconsider those opportunities.
Another organization in Brazil, Los Grandes, issued a lengthy statement to TEA noting that it is carefully watching the situation, but if it finds answers for Garea, un satisfactory, it may also step away from the league.
Since August of last year, Los Grandes has been in contact with Garena in search of more information and updates on the functioning of the Brazilian League of Free Fire in 2023. To set up and prepare a competitive team and be inserted within a scenario like that of Free Fire, planning is necessary and specially training for the competitive calendar, however, the teams that participated [in] the championship before remained for a long time without visibility of the developer’s next steps, which cause us some issues for our internal structure.
In addition, our bigger concern is in the format changes: in 2021, we had 3 annual editions of championship, in 2022 it went to 2 and, for 2023, the forecast is for only one event with a greater extension. So in a meeting with Garena, Los Grandes made some demands to continue in the competition, such as not having a 5-month split without a break thinking about the psychological health of the athletes, having at least two editions of the championship this year and maintaining the tournament with fewer teams to increase quality and competitive level.
So far, we haven’t yet received feedback on our questions and requests, so we continue with a high probability of not moving on in this scenario, like other organizations that have not yet publicly positioned themselves.
TEA will continue to follow this story as it develops.
O Esports Advocate apurou que vรกrias organizaรงรตes de esports estรฃo saindo ou considerando uma saรญda da Liga Brasileira de Free Fire (LBFF), citando falta de apoio da Garena.
Uma pessoa familiarizada com a situaรงรฃo com quem conversamos (que pediu para nรฃo ser identificada porque nรฃo estava autorizada a falar sobre o assunto) descreveu o estado da liga como “morrendo”, principalmente devido ร falta de comunicaรงรฃo e direรงรฃo da dona da liga, a Garena Brasil.
A organizaรงรฃo brasileira de esports FURIA disse ao TEA na sexta-feira que sairia da LBFF, e emitiu a seguinte declaraรงรฃo:
Informamos que a FURIA optou por nรฃo participar da prรณxima etapa da Liga Brasileira de Free Fire (LBFF). Nรฃo descartamos retornar em um futuro prรณximo, acreditando nos esforรงos da Garena para reformular a liga, mas o momento ainda nรฃo รฉ ideal para retomar o projeto. A FURIA continua no Free Fire por meio de sua line de Free Fire Emulador.
A TEA entrou em contato com a Garena Brasil na quinta-feira, mas a empresa nรฃo respondeu ao nosso pedido de comentรกrio, atรฉ o momento da escrita.
Mais cedo nesta semana, a organizaรงรฃo de esports da Amรฉrica do Norte, TSM, anunciou que sairia da liga e, efetivamente, do paรญs, pois o Free Fire Mobile era o รบltimo tรญtulo em que competiu na regiรฃo. A organizaรงรฃo costumava ter uma equipe de Wild Rift, mas foi desfeita depois que a Riot Games Brasil abandonou seus planos de esports para o tรญtulo na regiรฃo.
O VP de Esports da TSM, Dominic Kallas, emitiu uma declaraรงรฃo o TEA na quinta-feira:
“A TSM saiu da WildRift no ano passado devido, em grande parte, ร s mudanรงas no ecossistema competitivo e recentemente anunciou a saรญda do Free Fire em 6 de fevereiro. Houve muitos fatores que contribuรญram para esta decisรฃo. Embora seja infeliz, ainda vemos o Brasil como parte essencial de nossa expansรฃo global. Se oportunidades surgirem no Brasil mais tarde este ano, certamente as reconsideraremos”.
Outra organizaรงรฃo no Brasil, Los Grandes, emitiu uma declaraรงรฃo extensa ao TEA, destacando que estรก observando a situaรงรฃo com cuidado, mas se as respostas da Garena forem insatisfatรณrias, tambรฉm pode se afastar da liga.
Desde agosto do ano passado, a Los Grandes tem mantido contato com a Garena em busca de mais informaรงรตes e atualizaรงรตes sobre o funcionamento da Liga Brasileira de Free Fire em 2023. Para montar e preparar uma equipe competitiva e ser inserido em um cenรกrio como o de Free Fire, รฉ necessรกrio planejamento e treinamento especialmente para o calendรกrio competitivo. No entanto, as equipes que participaram do campeonato anterior ficaram por muito tempo sem visibilidade dos prรณximos passos do desenvolvedor, o que causou alguns problemas em nossa estrutura interna.
Alรฉm disso, nossa maior preocupaรงรฃo รฉ com as mudanรงas de formato: em 2021, tivemos 3 ediรงรตes anuais do campeonato, em 2022 isso passou a 2 e, para 2023, a previsรฃo รฉ apenas um evento com maior extensรฃo. Portanto, em uma reuniรฃo com a Garena, a Los Grandes fez algumas exigรชncias para continuar na competiรงรฃo, como nรฃo ter um split de 5 meses sem uma pausa, pensando na saรบde psicolรณgica dos atletas, ter pelo menos duas ediรงรตes do campeonato este ano e manter o torneio com menos equipes para aumentar a qualidade e o nรญvel competitivo.
Atรฉ agora, ainda nรฃo recebemos retorno sobre nossas perguntas e solicitaรงรตes, entรฃo continuamos com alta probabilidade de nรฃo continuarmos neste cenรกrio, assim como outras organizaรงรตes que ainda nรฃo se posicionaram publicamente.
TEA continuarรก a acompanhar esta histรณria ร medida que se desenvolver.