PUBG Corporation, the creators of battle royale shooter PUBG: Battlegrounds, has announced that it will expand the game’s esports partner programme for 2024
According to the announcement, two more teams will be added to the roster of global partner teams, taking the total to 10 organisations. Moreover, PUBG Esports’ existing partner teams will undergo a reevaluation process. Interested teams can apply directly through PUBG’s website.
The PUBG: Battlegrounds partner programme was announced late in 2022. The first partner teams were confirmed in January 2023 with the likes of NAVI, FaZe Clan and Gen.G being among the first round of confirmed partners. Global partner teams receive financial benefits for participating in the programme and are guaranteed access to the PUBG Global Series.
The game’s developers have shared that the same three criteria for the selection of partner teams will return for the new ones, with fan base, history and governance being the key areas of focus. This time around, the focus is on fandom, which will carry the most weight when it comes to the selection of new teams, up to 60%. The organisation’s stability and history will each makeup for 20% of the final decision.
It is also interesting to note that the existing teams from the PUBG Global Partner Team Program will also undergo a re-evaluation process. The PUBG Corporation noted that “this will help maintain the high standards of the programme and ensure that the partners are aligned with the evolving dynamics of PUBG Esports.”
This also means that some teams might also leave the programme when the evaluation ends, making the total tally of new teams possibly higher than two.
The new round of selection will be open to all interested teams until December 15th, 2023. The PUBG Esports team noted that the finished lineup of partner teams will be revealed during January 2024.
Last weekend PUBG recently concluded its 2023 Global Championship, with Korean esports organisation Danawa e-sports claiming a large chunk of its $2m (~£1.58m) prize pool.
