Fire Flux's Apex47 says he doesn't make much from Mobile Legends in Türkiye, may quit if financial difficulties come
He is currently making enough to support his family, and is saving his earnings for now.
Despite a promising run at the recently-concluded Mobile Legends: Bang Bang (MLBB) M5 World Championship, Fire Flux Esports' Turkish roamer, Furkan "Apex47" Akbulut, may eventually quit the game if it's not financially sustainable for him.
While he currently makes enough to support himself and his family, Apex47 says he may quit if he starts "having financial difficulties".
"To be honest, we do not make much money from MLBB tournaments in Türkiye. The main reason for this is high inflation," Apex47 said in an exclusive interview with Yahoo Esports SEA.
"I save more of my earnings. By saving, I mean I buy equipment for myself. I broadcast, so I buy the equipment I need while broadcasting. Apart from equipment, I am just saving."
But Apex47 is ambitious and optimistic about his squad's future. They will have more tournaments to play for, and they plan to win them so that they have the confidence and experience to compete in international tournaments.
"In short, we want to grow MLBB esports in Türkiye as much as we can," said Apex47.
How Apex47 got his start in esports
Apex47, who plays the roamer role for the team, was a textile worker before becoming a professional esports player. He has 11 other siblings, and has another brother playing in another team. He started playing MLBB at 15-years old, using a hand-me-down Turkcell t20 phone from his older brother.
After achieving great results at M4, where Apex47 and Fire Flux placed in the Top 7, he decided to turn pro. While his parents were first upset with him playing games, they soon became positive.
"It was a very good success for us and even a very good success for everyone in general. After returning from Indonesia, I believed that I would have a future in this business and decided to become a professional player," said Apex47.
At M5, Fire Flux had a great run. They topped Group B group stage to face off against Russian squad Deus Vault but lost 3-1, falling to the lower bracket.
With their tournament life on the line, they squared off against hot favourites Blacklist International, and were up 1-0 before a 5.9 magnitude earthquake struck Manila, where M5 was taking place.
Fire Flux Esports appeared shaken, and lost its momentum and before going down 1-3. It wasn't the finish most had expected, given the team's strong performance so far.
While some may think an earthquake is no big deal, bear in mind that Türkiye had experienced its most devastating earthquake earlier in February, where a 7.9 magnitude struck the southern and central part of the country, killing 59,000 people.
"I think after the earthquake, we all went outside, and I think because of that, we were out of focus. We were scared a little bit because of the earthquake," said Fire Flux's coach Sacit "Badgalseph" Arslan in the post match conference.
Still, a 7th-8th place finish is decent, and the team goes back with US$30,000 in their pocket. Hopefully, they will find their chance at the championship next year at M6, which will be taking place in Malaysia.
Aloysius Low is an ex-CNET editor with more than 15 years of experience. He's really into cats and is currently reviewing products at canbuyornot.com
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