In the latest move by a major esports company to deal with the coronavirus pandemic, PUBG Corporation, the company behind PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, announced Friday it is replacing its PUBG Global Series (PGS) with a trio of regional competitions in 2020.
According to a press release from the company, switching to the online-only tournaments is designed to “support PUBG esports during this time of physical distancing.”
The PUBG Continental Series (PCS) will consist of events held in May, June and August. The total prize pool for the three events will be $2.4 million with four regions taking part:
–Asia (Korea, Japan, China, Chinese Taiwan)
–Asia-Pacific (Southeast Asia and Oceania)
–Europe
–North America
The three tournaments will have similar prize structures, with each of the four regions having $200,000 prize pools (meaning a total of $800,000 for each of the three events).
The first tournament — the PUBG Continental Series Charity Showdown — will see $100,000 in total prize pool money and the $100,000 donated to a charity of each regional winner’s choice.
PUBG Corporation also announced a “Pick’Em Challenge,” which allows fans to predict the champion while giving the top teams a chance and winning additional money. Additional details on how the challenge will work and how teams can win extra money will be announced at a later date.
Before the coronavirus outbreak, 21 teams had qualified for the PGS Berlin. That event was postponed indefinitely in early February. On Friday, PUBG Corporation announced it would award $20,000 to each of those 21 teams.
Additional money will be awarded to teams in regions that had not yet completed qualifying for Berlin.
–Field Level Media
