Free Fire Esports map change: Nexterra replaces Kalahari

Garena has yet to announce the roadmap for Free Fire Esports in 2023, but it has confirmed one thing – the maps which are going to be used throughout the years’ esports events.

A few days ago, Free Fire Europe Esports Instagram account shared an update on the four maps in the 2023 esports season.

Free Fire esports reveals 2023 maps: Nexterra replaces Kalahari

Fans will get to see a brand new battlefield in Free Fire esports this year. The four maps to be used this year are:

• Bermuda
• Purgatory
• Alpine
• Nexterra

While Bermuda, Purgatory, and Alpine are unsurprising picks, the addition of the new Nexterra will certainly be a big change in 2023.

Nexterra is the latest map in Free Fire, which was released in August 2022. The map features a dynamic terrain combining features from both Bermuda and Kalahari. The infrastructure on the map, though, is what really sets it apart. It has a futuristic look which is different from the other maps.

Nexterra’s addition to Free Fire esports is a good thing for the fans. Firstly, the map has been widely loved because of the different infrastructure. Thus, adding it to esports competitions will enable fans to see the best compete on it and learn from them.

The real surprise, however, is the removal of Kalahari. The map is only the second one to ever be released into the game. Its removal from esports could only signal an in-game removal of the map as well.

Maps are great, but what about the esports roadmap?

While the reveal of the maps is a positive sign for fans as this means Garena has plans for the 2023 Free Fire esports season, they haven’t been revealed yet.

The upcoming year is going to be a very important year for the game as it struggles to keep up the viewership numbers in esports tournaments.

The game which once featured the most-watched esports tournament (FFWS Singapore 2021) according to Esports Charts is now at a distant low from its past. In the recently concluded FFWS Bangkok, the viewership fell by more than 90 percent to a mere 354,000 peak viewers.

• Read also: Free Fire Esports viewership falls more than 90 percent -- but why?

Thus, the 2023 season is a moment of reckoning to see whether the viewership stabilizes now or continues to fall. The remaining esports fans are now waiting to see what plans Garen has in 2023.

Major leagues like the LBFF are expected to return along with at least two international events in the form of the Free Fire World Series (FFWS).