Esportz Premier Series 2024 announced with Free Fire in the lineup of games

The Esportz Premier Series has announced its 2024 edition, featuring a total prize pool of Rs. 25,00,000 (about $30,000). The tournament series will run for the entire year in India, culminating in a LAN event, featuring four esports titles. These are Counter-Strike 2, Free Fire MAX, EA FC24, and Assetto Corsa Competizione.

“We are pleased to announce the fourth edition of the Esportz Premier Series,” said Santosh Smith, the director at Capital Group. “The overwhelming response from gamers, fans, and stakeholders in the previous season has inspired us to elevate the competition to new heights. This year, with regional qualifiers, we aim to provide even more opportunities for talented players across the country to shine. We are committed to fostering the growth of esports in India and can’t wait to see the incredible talent that emerges from every corner of the nation.”

Image Credits: Esportz

Esportz Premier Series 2024: One of the only tournaments for Free Fire in India

The Esportz Premier Series will feature open-for-all qualifiers across the four games. Players from here will advance into the later stages, culminating in the LAN event towards the end of the year. In the past two years, this LAN took place in Mumbai, India. The venue for the 2024 edition, however, hasn’t been announced.

What is most exciting about the esports tournament, though, is the inclusion of Free Fire. While the game was banned in the country back in early 2022 due to alleged data privacy concerns, its MAX version is still available for download. Thus, the Esportz Premier Series will be played in this game, making it one of the only esports tournaments for Free Fire fans in the country.

However, Garena had announced in August 2023 that a localized version called Free Fire India was being released. The game is still not available, though, and is expected to come out later in 2024. If this happens, it remains to be seen if the Esportz Premier Series switches from Free Fire MAX to Free Fire India.

Additionally, a major change in the 2024 edition is that there will be regional-based qualifiers. As a part of this, four qualifiers will happen in India across the East, West, North, and South regions. The registrations haven’t been announced yet, though.