The controversy surrounding the fairness of the PUBG international event hosted by Krafton has escalated following the withdrawal of the Korean team and the suspension of sponsorship activities. Vietnamese players admitted to receiving external information during the match, but user backlash continues over the apologies and the organizers' response.
According to the gaming industry on the 20th, the issue arose after the first day of the 'PUBG Asia Stars 2026' tournament held on the 17th. The event features 48 participants from six Asian regions, including Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Vietnam, with eight players each. The final rankings will be determined by the cumulative scores from nine events held over three days from the 17th to the 20th.
Vietnamese representatives HIMASS and TANVUU issued a joint apology, stating they checked their live broadcast chat on a secondary monitor during the match and received some information from outside the game. They expressed regret, acknowledging that this information could have given them an advantage or affected other teams, specifically apologizing to the Korean team and KOR_SOOPI.
However, they did not admit to directly watching the opposing players' broadcast, known as 'cheating.' The two players claimed they understood that checking live chat was not prohibited by the rules and that there were no specific guidelines provided beforehand. Krafton accepted responsibility for not sufficiently clarifying operational standards to ensure fairness.
On the 19th, Krafton excluded the two players from the remaining matches and implemented measures such as delaying the broadcast of key matches, reissuing operational guidelines, and enhancing monitoring. However, they did not disclose how much external information may have influenced the results of the first day's matches or how they would handle the scores already obtained, announcing further investigations instead.
The Korean team protested the organizers' response and the players' apologies by boycotting the Day 2 matches on the 19th. Korean team member Kim Seong-tae noted that he had been informed by Krafton prior to the apology's release that the Vietnamese players would acknowledge their cheating, but the actual apology differed.
Streamer and YouTuber Soopi, who was affected by the incident, expressed his frustration on the 20th via an online streaming platform, stating, "I managed the chat to prevent derogatory comments about Vietnam. What I received in return was a fixed message in the live chat claiming that the Vietnamese player who cheated said, 'Soopi also cheated.'"
The controversy has also impacted sponsors. Official sponsor Baegok Coffee announced on the 20th via their website that they had received customer disappointment and concerns regarding the tournament. They stated they would confirm the facts and the organizers' response before deciding on further actions. During the review period, they have begun to temporarily suspend related sponsorship activities, including CM, menus, and events.
* This article has been translated by AI.
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