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PUBG Mobile officially an esport at 2022 Asian Games

PUBG Mobile booth at Taipei International Video Game Show in 2021 - CC

PUBG Mobile has been officially revealed as one of eight esports games chosen as medal events for the upcoming 2022 Asian Games. Regarding which version of the game will be featured for the players to compete, it was mentioned that an “Asian Games version” of PUBG Mobile will be used.

“It’s an honor for PUBG Mobile to be included in the 2022 Asian Games,” James Yang, Director of Global Esports, Tencent Games, said.

“We are incredibly lucky to have a number of extremely talented players from several countries in the region, and can’t wait to see them compete as part of such a prestigious event. Fans of the game can look forward to exciting competition between the region’s best PUBG Mobile players as they are celebrated alongside the best athletes in Asia.”

Recognized by the International Olympic Committee as the second-largest multi-sport event, the Asian Games are held every four years.

The Asian Games 2022 will feature a total of 482 events in 40 sports. The other seven esports games in the event are Arena of Valor Asian Games version, Dota 2, Dream Three Kingdoms 2, EA Sports FIFA, Hearthstone, League of Legends, and Street Fighter V.

The 19th Asian Games will be held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, China from 10-25 September 2022.

PUBG Mobile international journey

“I’m glad that PUBG Mobile is selected as the official medal event at the Asian Games Hangzhou 2022, which will be an opportunity for people from all over Asia to come together as one,” Minu Lee, the head of the PUBG Mobile Strategic Marketing Department at KRAFTON, said in the press release.

“I hope that fans and players will be able to unite through a new version on PUBG Mobile, which we developed with PUBG IP specifically for the Asian Games.”

Esports was a demonstration sport at the 2018 Asian Games that took place in two cities, Jakarta and Palembang, Indonesia.

Six games were played during the 2018 demonstration, including League Of Legends, Arena Of Valor, Clash Royale, Pro Evolution Soccer 2018, StarCraft II, and Hearthstone.

Following the 2018 Asian Games was the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines. This international esports event featured Arena of Valor, Dota 2, Mobile Legends: Bang Bang, Starcraft II, Tekken 7, and Hearthstone.

PUBG Mobile’s esports professional league currently competing in 14 leagues, from the Americas Championship, Southeast Asia Championship, South Asia Championship and Europe, Middle East, and Africa Championship, together with other regions, combining a total prize pool of $14 million.

Increasing popularity across platforms

Since its release for both iOS and Android in March 2018, PUBG Mobile has been very popular among mobile gamers. As of August 2021, The shooter battle royale game has brought a total revenue of $6.2 billion with an accumulated number of 1 billion downloads on Google Play Store and App Store.

To reach wider markets and attract more players outside its initial target demographic, PUBG Mobile initiated several partnerships with various stakeholders. Swedish car manufacturer Koenigsegg and English Premier League club Liverpool F.C were among their latest collaborators.

The collaborative event with Liverpool Football Club is running from November 12 to November 20.