Crafton (CEO Changhan Kim) will host the PUBG Global Series (PGS) 1, a global esports competition for PUBG: Battlegrounds (“Battlegrounds”).
PGS 1 is a global stage where 24 top professional teams from around the world will compete for the honor of the strongest team from April 27 to May 7. Unlike last year's PUBG Continental Series, which was held online across the globe in four regions, PGS 1 will be held entirely offline at the Battle Arena Malaysia in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
In addition to the 16 teams that excelled in regional competitions, including the PUBG Weekly Series: Korea (PWS) Phase 1 in South Korea, eight teams from the Global Partner Teams program were selected earlier this year, including Korea's Zenji. TANAWA Esports, Pentagram, and Gibli Esports, who placed first through third in PWS: Phase 1, respectively, will compete in PGS 1.
PGS 1 will begin on April 27 with the Group Stage, which is the cornerstone of qualifying for the Grand Finals. The 24 teams will be divided into three groups of eight teams over three days. Groups A and B will play on Day 1, Groups B and C on Day 2, and Groups C and A on Day 3, with six matches each day. Among the Korean teams, Genji and Ghibli Esports are in Group A, Pentagram is in Group B, and Danaa Esports is in Group C. They will compete against each other.
At the end of the group stage, the top 16 teams will advance to the winner's bracket based on their combined standings, while the bottom eight will move to the loser's bracket. The Winner's Bracket will be played over two days from April 30 to May 1 with six matches per day, with the top eight teams advancing directly to the Grand Finals. The bottom eight teams from the Winner's Bracket, along with the bottom eight teams from the Group Stage, will compete in the Loser's Bracket, again with six matches per day for two days, May 2-3. Only the top eight teams from the Loser's Bracket will advance to the Grand Finals, with the remaining eight teams eliminated.
The Grand Finals will consist of 18 matches, six per day for three days from May 5-7, with the highest ranked team being crowned the champion of PGS 1.
The total prize pool for PGS 1 is set at $500,000. The first-place team will take home $80,000, with the remainder awarded on a sliding scale based on ranking.
Starting with this competition, a new system called “PGS Points” will be introduced. PGS 1 and PGS 2, which will take place in the second half of the year, will award PGS points to the top 16 teams based on their final standings after each competition, and the top four teams with the most points will earn the right to compete in the PUBG Global Championship (PGC) 2023, the global top-level competition for Battlegrounds esports, at the end of the year. However, PGS points are separate from and do not count toward PGC points awarded in regional competitions.
To celebrate PGS 1, four of the eight global partner teams – FaZe Clan, 17 Gaming, Natus Vincere, and Petrico Lord – will be showcasing “team-branded” items. Team Edition skins designed by the four teams are available in-game and will be available for purchase until May 10 at 1pm. The remaining teams' skins will be released in the lead-up to PGS 2. Twenty-five percent of revenue from the sale of Team Edition skins will be distributed to global partner teams.
All matches from PGS 1 will begin at 7 p.m. ET and can be viewed on the official Battlegrounds Esports YouTube channel, 토토사이트 as well as on Twitch, Africa TV, and Naver TV.
