What started as a fun family activity quickly became a big part of Nur “Maryjane” Haafizhoh and Siti “Hazel” Suriyanti’s pro-gaming lives.
“I first started Free Fire about four years ago and encouraged my mum, Hazel, to try it out as well. She got hooked very quickly after playing the game! There was a period where I stopped to try other games, and my mum was the one who actually got me to come back to the game,” Maryjane, Newgank’s captain, told Ulti.Asia.
Formed this year, the professional outfit is however no new kid on the block – Newgank dominated the Free Fire Singapore Championships earlier this year and earned their rights to qualify for the Free Fire World Series (FFWS) play-ins that will be happening in Singapore this weekend.
We spoke to Maryjane to find out more about Newgank and how they are gearing up to compete with 17 other international teams at FFWS.
FFWS Dreams
Boasting a prize pool of US$2 million, FFWS is the highest grossing tournament that will be held in Singapore this year. The team is excited to be representing Singapore, and has been training rigorously for the upcoming play-ins to stay in tip-top shape – from 11pm to 2am daily.
With support from their sponsors, Newgank pulled over coaching and professional players from the Philippines as part of their training regimen. It is here where they expose themselves to new tactics and learn new strategies along with tips and tricks to ace the game.
“We’ve been playing Free Fire since 2017 so we’ve had quite a number of years to hone our skills and develop a good understanding of the game. Our unique team dynamics and strong communication has allowed us to triumph and qualify for FFWS,” said the captain.
“We hope to do well during the Play-Ins and qualify for the Finals.”
How I met your mother
When Newgank was formed earlier this year, it was mummy Hazel that pulled the team together. First, it was just the mother-daughter duo. Then later on, they decided to invite mutual friends Fahtin “Mirah” Shamirah and Muhammad “MrFrost” Nizam (who are a happily wedded couple) to join the Newgank family.
“She came to know Mira from mutual friends while playing Free Fire, and roped her and her husband in to join us as a team,” said Maryjane.
“My mum was the driving force behind bringing the team together to enter this competition.”
Now that a team of four is formed, Newgank began to aim higher and reach further into the Free Fire community, joining every local and overseas Free Fire tournaments that come by to become Singapore’s best.
To them, consistency and communication are keys to their success, and they hope to inspire other aspiring esports athletes in Singapore to do the same.
“You’ll need to invest time into polishing your skills and work towards being a team player. When the game starts to get intense, you’ll have to provide clear information to your teammates and cover for them to turn things around,” said daughter Maryjane.
Let’s catch all the FFWS live action here and wish Newgank all the best!
But before we go, here’s a quick introduction to the four members of Newgank:
Nur “Maryjane” Haafizhoh
Credit: Newgank
NWG Maryjane was working in admin and ops before switching to Free Fire esports full time in 2018. 19 this year, esports to her is a big family affair and they have taken part in tournaments individually and as family members, winning tournaments like the Ramadhan Fast tournament and beating many other teams in Singapore to represent Singapore in the Free Fire World Series.
Siti “Hazel” Suriyanti
Credit: Newgank
NWG Hazel, mother to MaryJane and a few other future stars of FreeFire, is a full time Mom and part time Paramedic and esports professional. She’s been playing since 2018 and her age is not of your concern (age is every woman’s secret)… NWG Hazel is the leader of a clan and family full of gaming talent and she is a proud champion for Singapore Free Fire.
Fahtin “Mirah” Shamirah
Credit: Newgank
NWG Mirah works as a professional in the F&B industry when she is not playing FreeFire with her husband and teammate, NWG MrFrost. Mirah has just turned 29 and has been playing FreeFire since 2018. A fierce competitor and strong voice in the FreeFire Community, NWG Mirah helped NWG take down all of the aspiring champions of Singapore and now turns her focus toward proving to the rest of the world that Singapore FreeFire is ready to protect their home!
Muhammad “MrFrost” Nizam
Credit: Newgank
NWG MrFrost specializes in Logistics in his work life and flanking/support on the map. He has played FreeFire since 2018 and, along with his wife NWG Mirah and the rest of NewGank, was able to take the crown as champions of Singapore. NWG MrFrost is 28 years old and looks forward to taking his wife and extended family at NWG to the Free Fire World Series to chase further glory and a potential victory for his home country Singapore.
