An Asia regional event tournament for "PUBG: Battlegrounds" hosted by Krafton ended early after a fairness dispute over participants checking outside information and the organiser's initial response. Krafton cancelled the final schedule.

Krafton excluded 2 participants from Vietnam from the remaining schedule and revoked their PUBG partner status. The South Korean team then protested tournament operations and did not take part in Day 2 matches. Some sponsors also temporarily put related promotions and sponsorships on hold as the fairness dispute continued.

The tournament at the centre of the dispute is "PUBG Asia Stars 2026", which began on Sept. 17, the industry said on Sept. 21. It is a regional head-to-head event involving pro players, PUBG partners and streamers from 6 Asian regions: South Korea, China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam. A total of 48 participants, 8 from each region, were scheduled to play over 3 days on Sept. 17, 19 and 20.

The issue occurred on the first day of the event, Day 1. Krafton said it confirmed during its inquiry that Himass and TanVuu from Vietnam's TEAM VIE checked outside information about the game through content from their personal broadcasts during the event.

It is still being investigated whether the 2 participants directly watched another participant's personal broadcast, whether outside information was used in actual play, and whether there was any additional sharing or receipt of information. Krafton is checking the facts based on event footage, personal broadcast point-of-view footage and team voice communications.

After the dispute was raised, Krafton issued 2 notices on Sept. 19 and excluded Himass and TanVuu from the remaining schedule, bringing in replacement participants. It applied a broadcast delay to matches and strengthened monitoring, including re-notifying participants of operating standards. It also adjusted the scores of some events for which relevance was confirmed.

Pushback over Krafton's initial response continued. The 8 South Korean participants protested the tournament operations that day and did not take part in Day 2 matches.

Krafton acknowledged there were problems in its initial response process. It said it delivered inaccurate information on whether outside information was used, ahead of Day 2, without fully reviewing all videos and materials. It added that it did not sufficiently share progress later as it prioritised verifying accurate facts.

Krafton later revoked Himass and TanVuu's PUBG Vietnam partner status as well. It is continuing its investigation into any additional violations based on relevant event footage, personal broadcast point-of-view footage and team voice communications.

Krafton said there were also loopholes in the tournament operating standards themselves. PUBG Asia Stars was designed with UGC mode and real-time communication among streamers as key elements, and did not mandate a broadcast delay. Krafton said it did not sufficiently consider the possibility of outside information entering and fairness issues as participants from multiple countries each ran personal broadcasts.

The existing rulebook included obligations to ensure fairness and sportsmanship, but it did not break down specific acts and sanction standards. These included checking outside information via real-time chat, watching another participant's personal broadcast, and receiving or using information from outside the game.

As the dispute spread, sponsors also responded. Baek-eok Coffee began measures to temporarily suspend related sponsorship activities, and Kkanbu Chicken temporarily put related promotions and events on hold. Apparel brand Nogear also temporarily suspended its sponsorship over the fairness dispute and said it would watch the official investigation results and follow-up actions.

Krafton ultimately decided not to proceed with Day 3, which had been scheduled for Sept. 20. It said it had taken steps such as participant replacements and score adjustments, but judged it would be difficult for all participants to continue the remaining schedule normally under the same trust and conditions.

With Day 3 cancelled, the tournament will also not confirm final rankings. The total prize pool of $70,000, which had been planned to be paid out on a sliding scale based on rankings, will be paid to all participating regions under the same criteria. The drops event scheduled for Day 3 was also cancelled, and Krafton plans to prepare a separate replacement event.

Krafton plans to set out in advance more specific rules for similar competitive events in the future, including broadcast delays, bans on using outside information, monitoring methods and sanction standards for violations.

Krafton said, "We were lacking in several areas, from prior operating standards and risk management to initial judgment and subsequent communication." It said it would further disclose verified results after the investigation is completed, along with necessary follow-up actions and measures to prevent a recurrence.