FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Singapore and San Francisco: Tuesday, November 24, 2020 – Today leading game developer and publisher Garena announced the Grand Prize winner of its Free Fire x Money Heist Plan Bermuda “Ultimate Heist” Sweepstakes. To notify the grand prize winner, Robert Williams, a costumed and masked Money Heist crew recently surprised the Los Angeles-native at his home to give him one final challenge and award him with the Free Fire x Money Heist Briefcase filled with $25,000 in gold and cash.
The “Ultimate Heist” sweepstakes was the culmination of a month-long in-game and community crossover between Netflix original English-Spanish language series Money Heist and Garena’s popular free-to-play mobile battle royale game, Free Fire. All throughout September players participated in Plan Bermuda, a series of Money Heist-themed missions with special maps, costumes, special items, and a new 4x4 play mode. The partnership was also celebrated around the globe with community events including a live-action short, La Casa de Papel blimps, and downtown buildings covered in Free Fire x Money Heist graffiti-style murals leading up to the event Peak Day on September 20.
Free Fire players in the US were invited to participate in the “Ultimate Heist” sweepstakes for a chance to win more than $48,000 in daily prizes which included actual one-ounce gold bars, ten-ounce silver bars, heist bags, and other items. Iconic heist jumpsuits and masks were sent to influencers throughout the country and celebrities such as Felicia Day and the Tribe Gaming Team posted videos to encourage fan participation, resulting in more than 2,000 entrants who recruited crews, completed special missions, and posted to social for a chance to win.
A life-long gamer and burgeoning Twitch streamer who goes by the handle @TekkamanBlade00, Williams is a commercial driver for the city of Los Angeles. Inspired by the arcades in his youth, his first passion is fighting games, though he also enjoys playing JRPGs and battle royale arena shooters. He credits several members of the Twitch community for getting him started as a content creator – in particular, his best friend Floyd (@BlaQSkillZ), who was a surprise member of the Money Heist prize crew.
Williams started playing Free Fire when it first launched three years ago and cites the expansive maps and immersive yet accessible gameplay, and a sense of “freedom” as reasons he continues to play the game.
“With most battle royale or arena shooters, it feels more chaotic than free because there’s so much happening on the screen,” commented Williams. “With Free Fire, I like that you have a very linear map that allows for much more guerilla warfare tactics as opposed to just nonsense on the map; that actually makes you want to think strategically about what you’re going to do in the game. And I like that fact that there are risks and rewards, depending on how you choose to go about it.”
Continued Williams, “Even if you weren’t a fan of this style of games, Free Fire has everything that’s good about those other (battle royale) games without having the downside…(Free Fire is) free to pick up, doesn’t stick you behind a paywall if you’re willing to work and get all the upgrades, and it’s something you can do at any time. It’s much more convenient to pull out my phone. You can literally start anywhere and stop at any time.”
Specifically, Williams calls out Free Fire’s accessibility. “There was no curve where I was forced to learn how to play at the drop of a hat. The game was able to cater…to put all the rules in front of you, and all the players are on a level playing field. Most games, if you go in now, the curve to learning the meta is so far out that, by the time you’ve figured out what you’re going to do, you’ve probably already died probably 20 or 50 times.”
When asked what he will do with his winnings, Williams discussed a possible relocation and start of a new life for he and his fiancé Cami “someplace with less traffic, less noise pollution, and somewhere with enough space where I can actually have a garage”, as he wants to rebuild cars. He also talked about giving his fiancé the wedding of her dreams or buying her a ring that she can enjoy and cherish forever. “But the first priority is treating Cami to the nicest dinner she wants.”
One of the leading mobile battle royale games, Garena’s Free Fire has continued to grow in popularity globally and attract new players through a constant stream of new content, region-specific celebrity events, new features and special events.
Garena Free Fire highlights:
- Free Fire was the third most downloaded game globally of Q’2, 2020, and the second highest grossing mobile game in August 2020 (App Annie, SuperData).
- Free Fire reached a record number of over 100M peak daily users in Q’2, 2020.
- Free Fire recently announced a crossover including an original song and in-game character based on DJ KSHMR.
- Free Fire celebrated its third anniversary in August and continues to attract new players and increase in popularity globally.
About Garena
Garena is the leading games developer and publisher in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Latin America, India, and has expanded into other fast-growing markets globally. Free Fire can be downloaded for free on both the Apple iOS App and Google Play
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A life-long gamer and burgeoning Twitch streamer who goes by the handle @TekkamanBlade00, Williams is a commercial driver for the city of Los Angeles. Inspired by the arcades in his youth, his first passion is fighting games, though he also enjoys playing JRPGs and battle royale arena shooters. He credits several members of the Twitch community for getting him started as a content creator – in particular, his best friend Floyd (@BlaQSkillZ), who was a surprise member of the Money Heist prize crew.
Williams started playing Free Fire when it first launched three years ago and cites the expansive maps and immersive yet accessible gameplay, and a sense of “freedom” as reasons he continues to play the game.
“With most battle royale or arena shooters, it feels more chaotic than free because there’s so much happening on the screen,” commented Williams. “With Free Fire, I like that you have a very linear map that allows for much more guerilla warfare tactics as opposed to just nonsense on the map; that actually makes you want to think strategically about what you’re going to do in the game. And I like that fact that there are risks and rewards, depending on how you choose to go about it.”
Continued Williams, “Even if you weren’t a fan of this style of games, Free Fire has everything that’s good about those other (battle royale) games without having the downside…(Free Fire is) free to pick up, doesn’t stick you behind a paywall if you’re willing to work and get all the upgrades, and it’s something you can do at any time. It’s much more convenient to pull out my phone. You can literally start anywhere and stop at any time.”
Specifically, Williams calls out Free Fire’s accessibility. “There was no curve where I was forced to learn how to play at the drop of a hat. The game was able to cater…to put all the rules in front of you, and all the players are on a level playing field. Most games, if you go in now, the curve to learning the meta is so far out that, by the time you’ve figured out what you’re going to do, you’ve probably already died probably 20 or 50 times.”
When asked what he will do with his winnings, Williams discussed a possible relocation and start of a new life for he and his fiancé Cami “someplace with less traffic, less noise pollution, and somewhere with enough space where I can actually have a garage”, as he wants to rebuild cars. He also talked about giving his fiancé the wedding of her dreams or buying her a ring that she can enjoy and cherish forever. “But the first priority is treating Cami to the nicest dinner she wants.”
One of the leading mobile battle royale games, Garena’s Free Fire has continued to grow in popularity globally and attract new players through a constant stream of new content, region-specific celebrity events, new features and special events.
Garena Free Fire highlights:
- Free Fire was the third most downloaded game globally of Q’2, 2020, and the second highest grossing mobile game in August 2020 (App Annie, SuperData).
- Free Fire reached a record number of over 100M peak daily users in Q’2, 2020.
- Free Fire recently announced a crossover including an original song and in-game character based on DJ KSHMR.
- Free Fire celebrated its third anniversary in August and continues to attract new players and increase in popularity globally.
About Garena
Garena is the leading games developer and publisher in Southeast Asia, Taiwan, Latin America, India, and has expanded into other fast-growing markets globally. Free Fire can be downloaded for free on both the Apple iOS App and Google Play
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Additional Free Fire North America Resources:
Money Heist Sweepstakes Winner video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PaxdHfczLR8&feature=youtu.be
Website: http://ff.garena.com/
Free Fire North America Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FreeFireUS/
Free Fire North America Twiiter: https://twitter.com/FreeFire_NA
Fan Website: www.freefirehq.com
Media contacts:
Elizabeth Olson