UPDATE 12/12/2023: This article has been corrected to clarify that the ongoing expansion of the PUBG partner programme mentioned in the article refers to PUBG Battlegrounds, not PUBG Mobile.
With the 2023 PUBG Mobile Global Championship Grand Finals fast approaching, game publisher Tencent has announced major changes to its 2024 esports season, adding a new global event to the calendar.
The new event, called PUBG Mobile Global Open (PMGO), will take place in Brazil in March 2024 and it will include a $500,000 (~£397,495) prize pool.
Invited to the inaugural PMGO in 2024 will be the qualifier from the host region, PMSL partnership teams, as well as regional PMSL regional qualifiers.
Additionally, there will be major changes coming to the esports scene’s regional leagues, as the PUBG MOBILE Super League (PMSL) will be incorporating a total of four regions, each with multiple seasons: Southeast Asia, EMEA (Europe, the Middle East & Africa), Americas and Central & South Asia.
James Yang, Senior Director of PUBG MOBILE Global Esports, revealed in a press conference that the 2024 esports roadmap will see three global events; the PUBG MOBILE Global Championship (PMGC); the improved midseason tournament PUBG Mobile World Invitational (PMWI), as well as the new PUBG Mobile Global Open.
The additions will give new partnership teams more opportunities to showcase their players while also giving community teams an additional way to compete against the best teams in the game title.
Additionally, the PUBG MOBILE Super League (PMSL) will be replacing the PUBG Mobile Pro League (PMPL) in all regions, becoming the top competition of regional leagues, with offline events planned for each league. Southeast Asia (SEA) will have three seasons of PMSL planned for next year, whereas EMEA, the Americas, and Central & South Asia (which have been united) will have two each.
When asked why SEA is getting one additional region, Yang explained it is due to the experience they gained by having developed the esports ecosystem there earlier. “We could see that three seasons can work better because [the] audience wants to see more competitions,” he added. Yang also hinted at the possibility of incorporating three seasons in other regions, though nothing is confirmed as of now.
Below the second tier, there will be PMSL regional qualifiers, giving amateur teams the chance to showcase their talent and bring them to compete against professional players. The fourth tier will include smaller regional leagues and tournaments, such as the PUBG Mobile Club Open (PMCO).
In other news, PUBG Battlegrounds — the PC version of PUBG — announced in December that it will expand the game’s esports partner programme for 2024 to 10 teams, with interested teams currently in the valuation process. The round of selection will be open until December 15th, 2023 and the new lineup of partner teams will be revealed in January 2024.
