Krafton (259960) moved to contain a widening dispute over PUBG Asia Stars 2026, an Asian regional esports tournament for "PUBG: Battlegrounds," after online abuse directed at a Korean participant escalated into a broader clash between Korean and Vietnamese fans. Two Vietnamese players found to have viewed outside information during the competition were given permanent account suspensions and stripped of eligibility to compete in any official esports event hosted or sanctioned by Krafton.
Krafton said on the 23rd through PUBG's official channels that it had permanently suspended the "PUBG: Battlegrounds" game accounts of Himars (Anyone's Legend) and Thanbu (The Expendables). As a result, the two players are permanently barred from all regional official leagues, including the PUBG Global Championship (PGC), the PUBG Global Series (PGS) and the PUBG Nations Cup (PNC), as well as every official esports tournament hosted or sanctioned by Krafton.
The company said it had reviewed official broadcast footage, participant streams, in-game data and match replays, and confirmed evidence that the two had violated its operating rules. "We also took into account that, as professional PUBG esports players, the two are held to higher standards of fairness, responsibility and conduct than ordinary participants," Krafton said. It added that "the two players have the right to contest this action through the established esports procedures."
The controversy arose during the running of PUBG Asia Stars 2026. Krafton opened the tournament on the 17th with professional players, PUBG partners and streamers representing six Asian regions, including South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Taiwan and Vietnam. The event had been scheduled to run over three days, on Sept. 17, 19 and 20.
On the opening day, however, it emerged that Vietnamese participants Himars and Thanbu had checked outside information during matches, triggering accusations of so-called "stream sniping" — playing while watching an opponent's live broadcast. All eight Korean participants refused to play on the second day in protest, and some sponsors suspended related activities, widening the dispute. The tournament ultimately ended early without completing its scheduled program.
Supi, the streamer who had faced the two in competition, was targeted with criticism and attacks by Vietnamese users as the dispute spread. Krafton apologized to Supi, saying it "feels a heavy responsibility for failing to adequately protect a participant because of shortcomings in our operations and response, and for the criticism and attacks that followed."
Krafton also said it would "request the removal and blocking of posts spreading false information, mocking content and illegally manipulated images at the company level, to prevent further harm," adding that it "will consult closely with Supi's agency and cooperate as fully as possible with Supi's legal action." The company said it also plans to provide support to help Supi recover from the harm and to ensure protection going forward.
Earlier, on the 21st, Yoon Su-jin, head of PUBG publishing at Krafton, issued an official statement apologizing for "the confusion and distress caused during the tournament's operation and in our subsequent response."
