PUBG Mobile has announced the esports organisations that are a part of its inaugural PUBG Mobile Partner Program.
North American esports organisation FaZe Clan, as well as Team Secret and RRQ, are among the list of 15 teams that have been selected for PUBG Mobile’s new esports programme.
According to James Yang, Director of PUBG Mobile Global Esports in a press conference, partner team slots will initially last for one year, with teams reapplying for the next season. Yang also stated that the partner teams had to pay no registration fee for the programme’s inaugural year.
The participants of PUBG Mobile’s Partner Program all represent a specific country within Southeast Asia. Alter Ego, Bigetron Esports, Boom Esports, Persija Evos and RRQ Esports will represent Indonesia. Meanwhile, Geek Slate, SEM9, Team Secret and Yoodo Alliance will be tied to Malaysia.
Thailand will feature Bacon Time, Faze Clan and Vampire Esports as the country’s PUBG Mobile partner teams for this season, with the Philippines only having one sole representative in Playbook Esports. Finally, the teams representing Vietnam are Box Gaming and D’Xavier.
It was previously revealed that PUBG Mobile partner teams will gain guaranteed slots in the PUBG Mobile Pro League (PMPL) and PUBG Mobile Super League (PMSL) SEA.
In the official announcement, PUBG Mobile has stated that partner teams will benefit from increased opportunities to develop its players, growth in exposure and extended support.
The programme is part of PUBG Mobile’s new competitive ecosystem, which sees the implementation of two PMSL seasons each year — Spring and Fall. Top teams, based on performance in PMPL and PMSL, will be promoted to the PUBG Mobile Global Championship (PMGC).
Prior to the announcement, it was revealed that Southeast Asia will be the first region to test the title’s new competition through PMSL SEA. Whilst there are ambitions to expand the PMSL into other regions, plans for expansion have yet to be put in motion.
In addition to revealing the partner teams, PUBG Mobile released further details regarding the PMSL SEA.
In a press conference, Yang announced that the first year of the PMSL SEA will not have promotion or relegation. However, Yang did not rule out the possibility of relegation for future seasons, with this being discussed on a yearly basis. Moreover, the PMSL will start on March 22nd with the finals taking place on April 14th.
It isn’t just PUBG Mobile that has opted to transition to a partner model, with KRAFTON’s PUBG PC variant announcing a similar programme for 2023. PUBG Esports awarded global partner status to eight organisations: Four Angry Men, 17Gaming, FaZe Clan, Gen.G, NAVI, Patrichor Road, Soniqs and Twisted Minds.
