DWG KIA from South Korea won the East League Finals of the “PUBG MOBILE CHAMPIONSHIP (PMGC) 2021,” making its way to the Grand Finals. In Korea, PUBG MOBILE Esports is relatively less known compared to PUBG Epsorts. But that doesn’t mean the former has less prize money and potential than the latter. Also, PUBG MOBILE has been selected as a medal event at the upcoming 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, making us look forward to its future even more. For those who are not yet familiar with PUBG MOBILE Esports, <KRAFTON Blog> had an interview with Rosa Kang who’s working on it.
Nice to meet you. Could you please introduce yourself to our readers?
My name is Rosa Kang and I belong to the PUBGM Esports Team. I’m working on PUBG MOBILE Esports in Korea. As “BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI)” has been launched in India recently, I also cover BGMI Esports, working together with the local branch office. And sometimes, I support for the global PUBG MOBILE Esports, too.
Last year, an official professional-level PUBG MOBILE Esports league was held for the first time in Korea. Could you tell us about the league system?
Yes. We had “PUBG MOBILE PRO SERIES (PMPS),” the official pro league for PUBG MOBILE, replacing the exiting “PUBG MOBILE STREET CHALLENGE (PMSC).” We also had “PUBG MOBILE OPEN CHALLENGE (PMOC),” which aims to foster amateur players and give them a chance get into PMPS. We’ve focused on establishing an ecosystem for PUBG MOBILE Esports, where PMOC leads to PMPS and PMGC.
Could you elaborate on PMGC 2021?
PMGC is the highest-level global competition in PUBG MOBILE Esports. The world’s best teams fight for the championship here. It started in 2020 and the PMGC 2021 is the second one. The tournament is divided into the East (Asia) league and the West (Americas/Europe) league. Only the best 16 teams can finally make it to the Grand Finals. South Korea’s DWG KIA won the East league, which was held from 22nd to 24th of December last year, and advanced to the Grand Finals. It was like a Christmas gift to many Korean fans since it was an unexpected result that amazed the world. I personally hope DWG KIA to clinch a win again in the Grand Finals, too.
You said it was an unexpected result. Then which league do you think has better teams, the East or the West?
Many teams from Southeast Asia are considered as very strong ones these days. In particular, Indonesia has many well-known teams. Also, Malaysian, Thai and Mongolian teams are getting good results. Asian teams are showing a good performance in general. “FaZe Clan,” which is a famous name in the Esports scene, is also participating in the East league since its team members are Asian. Unfortunately, they didn’t get a good result this time. Meanwhile, “Bigetron RA” from Indonesia, which was one of the highest scoring teams in PMGC 2020, ended up remaining at the lowest spot in the East League Finals and thus failed to reach the Grand Finals. PUBG MOBILE Esports has so many variables that it’s very hard to predict the winner.
What are the variables that makes it difficult to predict?
In PUBG Esports, many teams have already established themselves as highly competitive contenders in the global level. Compared to it, most of teams in PUBG MOBILE Esports are relatively new. Therefore, they don’t have much information about each other, which means that it’s very hard to take a guess on the opponents. That’s why it’s important to improvise new strategies as the tournament goes on. DWG KIA, the winner of the East league, showed unstable performance in the beginning. But they somehow made a dramatic rebound and was able to show off their full potential. Trust me, it’s unpredictable.
How much prize money is up for PMGC 2021?
The total prize pool is $6 million which is about three times that of PUBG Esports (Items revenue is excluded). Though PUBG Esports has received more attention in Korea, PUBG MOBILE Esports is as popular as PUBG Esports in many other parts of the world. Accordingly, the amount of prize money that PUBG MOBILE Esports is very considerable. I hope that PUBG MOBILE Esports gain more popularity in Korea as there are many PUBG MOBILE users here. With PMPS kicked off last year, I hope to see more sponsored teams and star players from now on.
How can the teams secure a seed to advance to PMGC?
Basically, the PMGC seeds can be secured through PMPS. For instance, DWG KIA advanced to PMGC through PMPS. The winner of “PUBG MOBILE RIVALS CUP: KOREA vs. JAPAN (PMRC)” could also get a seed for PMGC 2021. Unfortunately, Korean teams conceded the seed to a Japanese team this time. If there is any chance, I hope to see PMRC once more.
Are there many active professional-level PUBG MOBILE Esports leagues around the globe like PMPS in Korea?
Of course, There are many active professional leagues overseas which have started right after PUBG MOBILE was released, earlier than in Korea. PUBG MOBILE PRO LEAGUE (PMPL) is being organized in several regions worldwide and the teams can secure the seeds through it. Also, more diverse regional events including PUBG MOBILE CLUB OPEN (PMCO), an amateur-level event, as well as the Nationals are being held in overseas countries, far more actively in Korea.
Among the Korean teams, DWG KIA is currently on the top. Are there any other teams that you think we should keep an eye on?
There are many teams that performed very well in PMPS. DS Gaming, which has established a strong fandom, as well as Score and Red Pepper comes to mind.
The next question is from a newbie’s perspective. Many people are curious about the sensitivity settings of keyboards and mice that professional players use in PUBG Esports. How about in PUBG MOBILE Esports? Is the screen size or key mapping considered important in the mobile tournaments?
We provide the identical devices to all players in offline tournaments. In online tournaments, on the other hand, players are free to use their own devices. Of course, we strictly examine those devices when we run online tournaments. Still, tablet computers are not allowed. I know that there are many fans who are curious about how many fingers the professional players use. Key mapping is also considered important. As we are seeing more diverse smartphones these days, we would strengthen rules on devices.
For those who are not yet familiar with PUBG MOBILE Esports, could you give us some tips to enjoy the events better?
Compared to PUBG Esports, the competence gap between professional players and our fans are relatively not so much in PUBG MOBILE Epsorts because many players in the scene have just entered the professional level. There are many new teams and players that fans would love to see. In addition, the blue zones are drawn very unexpected and extraordinary ways in many matches, which makes PUBG MOBILE Esports more interesting.
Since PMPS has just begun, so it might be a good timing to try to become a pro.
You’re right. It’s not too late! (Laughter) PMOC always welcomes new players. We have student players and there are also who turned to PUBG MOBILE Esports from other games. I can say the entry barrier is relatively low since the only thing you need to start is your smartphone. Quite many pro players are in their 30s. PUBG MOBILE has become an official event in the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou. So, if you try very hard from now on, it’s possible for you to join the national team. (Laughter)
Next question is about the Asian Games. Did you expect that PUBG MOBILE would be selected as an official medal sport?
Honestly, I did a bit. (Laughter) When you think of popular mobile games in Asia, it’s not that hard to come up with PUBG MOBILE, right? I was so excited because we worked for it very hard. It’s unprecedented that a game made in Korea is chosen as a medal event in the Asian Games and be aired through public channels. At the same time, however, I grew anxious a bit since there will be so many things that we will have to work on. But it’s the very rare opportunity that might never happen again. Therefore, I’ll do my best with my colleagues.
What are you doing to prepare for the Asian Games?
We are talking with the Korea e-Sports Association (KeSPA) about how to select the members for the national team.Since we need a special build dedicated to the Asian Games, we’re also working hard to develop this version, while looking deep into related rules. I expect more details will be revealed once the test is done.
As Korea exempts players who achieve gold medals in the Asian Games from their duty of serving in the military, many would be eager to join the national team.
As much as the association that takes charge in things about the national team, we’re getting many inquiries. Unfortunately, we cannot elaborate on the national team. But we will do our best to help select the best players who can represent the country.
What can you tell us about the future plans of PUBG MOBILE Esports?
It has been almost four years since PUBG MOBILE was released. Some say that mobile games have short lifespan. But I believe we’ve only just begun. I’ll help grow the domestic pro league here as much as the global leagues so that we can find more new shining players. Our ultimate goal is to make PUBG MOBILE as the first thing people think of when it comes to mobile Esports.
