Despite the rise in popularity of its competitors, PUBG continues to be one of the most played and appreciated examples of the battle royale genre. This year, ESL is scheduling two new PUBG tournaments, showing us the proof that the esports scene for PUBG remains strong.
New tournaments on the horizon
In association with Krafton, ESL – the esports giant – is bringing us ESL PUBG Masters & ESL PUBG Open. The company is planning to organize 4 ESL PUBG Masters tournaments split between Americas and Europe. Additionally, the organizer will also be preparing 3 PUBG Open tournaments just for Europe. The prize pool for Masters has been set at a hefty 50,000 USD per each tournament, and participants will also compete for PUBG Global Championship Qualification Points. With the event being cast by your favorite personalities, you can expect an incredible dose of excitement.
The schedule
On their website, ESL has already provided the schedule for the first stages of their new events:
ESL PUBG Masters in the Americas
Phase 1:
Round 1: April 7-8, 2021
Round 2: April 10-11, 2021
Round 3: April 13-14, 2021
Group Stage: April 16-18, 2021
Grand Finals: April 23-25 & April 30-May 2, 2021
Phase 2:
July/August (dates TBA later)
ESL PUBG Masters in Europe
Spring:
Qualifier: March 31-April 2, 2021
Stage 1: April 10-11, 2021
Stage 2: April 16-18, 2021
Grand Finals: April 23-25, 2021
Summer:
July (dates TBA later)
The 3 ESL PUBG Open European tournaments will have a more modest prize pool of 2,000 USD, but the competition is more accessible to those beginning their journey with esports. ESL states that for the Summer event they will be rewarding the top participants with invitations to the ESL PUBG Masters: Summer in Europe. The company also states it will be giving an opportunity for community casters to broadcast the event on their own channels. ESL PUBG Open tournaments are scheduled for the following months: Summer – June/July, Fall – September, Winter – November. More information will be provided as soon as it is available.
PUBG esports events continue to impress
PUBG is currently ranked 7th on the list of Top Games Awarding Prize Money at esportsearnings.com, with the total prize pool of over 25 million USD, more than 2950 tournament participants, and exceeding 320 completed tournaments. In the battle royale genre, it is outmatched only by Fortnite in terms of player earnings, participants and completed tournaments. Being second is no small feat, especially in the light of the fact that Epic Games’ hit is one of the most popular and profitable games of all time that has kickstarted the career of internet personalities, such as Ninja.
Now a successful series
While PUBG on PC and consoles remains the battle royale of choice for many players, its sister game – PUBG mobile for Android and iOS – is breaking records. A recent report indicated that in 2020 PUBG Mobile was the highest-grossing mobile game, with an astounding record of 2.6 billion (!) USD in revenue that year. It is also worth highlighting that the mobile version of PUBG has its own separate esports branch. The 2021 PUBG Mobile Global Championship Finals were conducted in an online format due to the ongoing global health crisis.
A lot to look forward to for PUBG fans
It seems that 2021 might be another difficult year for most of the world. With countries struggling to get back on their feet, it is good to have at least some moment of respite and excitement thanks to new events and ESL’s continued support of the PUBG esports scene.
