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The rise of PUBG Mobile

MANILA, Philippines — The rise of the esports scene has been attributed to its popularity in the Southeast Asia region. According to a report published last February by market research company Research and Markets, at least 1 in 3 smartphone users in the region play mobile games at least once every week.

The staggering growth of mobile gamers has prompted many publishers to shift their focus on developing more accessible titles that also promote a sense of community among is players. One such game that has certainly built a passionate following is Tencent's PUBG Mobile.

In an interview with Philstar.com, general manager of global publishing and global esports for Tencent Games Vincent Wang highlighted the strength of the esports title with regards to its community engagement and how it continues to thrive in a highly competitive industry.

"PUBG Mobile has built a passionate community in the region, we have good interaction with our community – we listen to their requests and treasure their feedback while developing content. We believe that these reasons are what helps PUBG Mobile retain its relevance, demand, and position as one of the world’s most popular mobile games." mentioned Wang.

Looking at the trend in Southeast Asia with events like the Southeast Asian Games including esports as one of its competitive events, Wang believes that the esports industry will continue to rise and that is up to game publishers to help sustain a healthy gaming community.

"At PUBG Mobile, we take on a three-pronged approach that focuses on people, the planet, and unleashing potentials to lead the way in driving a healthy, inclusive, and sustainable gaming community. For one, we value our players, and their well-being has always been our top priority. We strongly believe that mobile games are for everyone, and inclusivity runs in our blood. For example, we’ve introduced the option of a Color-Blind mode to assist players with color blindness during their gameplay. In the Philippines, we have also organized a female-only tournament to break gender biases in gaming and empower women in esports." said Wang.

PUBG Mobile in the Philippines

In the Philippines, PUBG Mobile's popularity has also seen a growth in its popularity due to its focus on engaging the gaming community.

"PUBG Mobile's community has offers that are beyond and extraordinary." said PUBGM caster Aiman "Bekbek" Arabain. Besides the usual esports routes of being a professional player or caster, PUBG Mobile offers players the chance to be a community leader that helps elevate the gaming experience.

Arabain points to the contribution of players and content creators as to why PUBG Mobile popularity has been steadily increasing in the country. "Dahil sa contribution ng professional players, content creators kaya mas nagiging engaging si PUBG Mobile to the target audience."

But in terms of PUBG Mobile's Esports, Arabain admits that the other Southeast Asian countries are ahead in terms of experience and management of teams, citing that most local teams lack brand sponsors and would fund their own campaigns.

"Twice a year lang kasi tayo sa esports calendar dati, yun yung mahirap. But with the shift to a new esports calendar wherein we have the PMPL, PMCO, and other national tournaments, nakikita ko yung pag-angat ng PUBG Mobile esports scene natin," explained Arabain.

The PUBG Mobile community in the country certainly saw a boost with the recent South East Asian Games showcasing the potential of the country in the esports title. Philippine Esports Organization (PESO) Executive Director Marlon “Lon” Marcelo has shared that they are already in talks with Tencent to spearhead events and activities that could fuel more athletes for PUBG Mobile.

As one of the casters for the Tagalog stream during the SEA Games, Arabain couldn't help but be proud of the Philippine representatives, especially after having seen their performance during the PMPL, wherein SIBOL's first team, then KHI Esports, was eliminated during the group round and team captain John Raymart "Rankid" Rocello was given a suspension and warning due to a confidentiality rule after Rocello published PMPL content without consent.

"Super different ng Pilipinas sa international meta, kaya nakakagulat na sila Team Sibol sa PUBG Mobile naadapt kaagad yung international meta in a short amount time. Nakakaproud tingnan yung development, lalo na ni Philippines Team One, not just their strategy as they won multiple chicken diners but in their development as professional players as well. Nung mga last moments nung broadcast ngayon, I couldn't help but be emotional seeing them improve not just in game but also their character as what a professional player should be in a short span of time." shared Arabain.

 Pubg mobile new version 

PUBG Mobile's Dive Into Filipino Culture

One of the strengths of PUBG Mobile has been its numerous collaborations with different cultural icons that peak the interests of gamers. Collaborations with the likes of anime series Jujustu Kaizen, Premier League’s Liverpool FC team, Riot’s League of Legends: Arcane, and Marvel Cinematic Universe's Spiderman: No Way Home have given the battle royal shooting gameplay a novel experience in enjoying the game.

Besides partnerships with big titles, PUBG Mobile has also focused on including distinct Filipino updates that touch the hearts of their Filipino fans. Arabian recounted how surprised they had been when the Filipino voice pack was announced because it was a different feeling to experience the game with our own language being spoken.

"Tencent is trying to touch each country's culture. The diversity that Tencent gives to their game, makes PUBG Mobile more interesting and helps make more people curious about the game." shared Arabian.

 Pubg mobile lite 

Besides the Filipino voice pack, PUBG Mobile is once again releasing a Filipino-themed update inspired by none other than the Philippines' Ibong Adarna. The update marks the first Filipino character set to feature in the game.

During the event Rise from the Ashes, PUBG Mobile players have a chance to earn the limited edition Phoneix Adarna set exclusive to the Southeast Asia region. The limited content features a blazing phoenix design inspired by the mythological creature, Ibong Adarna, from the well-known Filipino poem of the same name.

02

PUBG Mobile Neon Genesis Evangelion Event: How To Unlock All Cosmetics

If Call of Duty’s Godzilla and King Kong event is any indication, the newest trend in the battle royale space is to have giant recognizable scary things bumming around the map while you try to be the last person standing. PUBG Mobile is happy to jump on the bandwagon and has joined forces with the popular anime, Neon Genesis Evangelion.

The Evangelion content comes alongside PUBG Mobile’s 2.0 update that released last month (which also includes the new map, Livik) and will be available until June 19. To find the Evangelion content, the easiest thing to do is to swipe the banner of events in the top right corner of the start menu, and tap the Evangelion Discovery one. It takes you to the available unlocks if you have the time and/or money to commit to earning them.

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Now Playing: PUBG MOBILE | EVANGELION Core Circle Mode Trailer

Currency And Unlocks

To acquire the various Evangelion-themed unlocks you must earn Exploration Points. The better you do in matches, the more Exploration Points you receive. Doing well is measured by how long you survive, how many eliminations you get, and how much damage you deal, alongside some other unspecified factors. You also get extra points by playing the Core Circle mode, so if you want to earn the unlocks, it's best to stick to that mode. You can earn up to 130 Exploration Points a day by playing matches.

As you earn Exploration Points you move through the tier of unlocks. You can also purchase Exploration Points using the UC currency earned or purchased with money outright if you are impatient.

Parachutes, weapons, armor, backpacks, and a special buddy all themed around Neon Genesis Evangelion are all available to unlock, but arguably the most interesting unlocks are the Plugsuits, as they are called in the anime, which essentially let you play as Shinji, Rei, Asuka, and Kaworu.

Purchase the microtransaction, Shijni!Purchase the microtransaction, Shijni!

During the event, you can obtain these cosmetic items through special “Evangelion” crates. Items will randomly be acquired through these crates, which means you may need to purchase or earn several crates to collect them all. One crate costs 90 UC, which is about $1.50 USD. Additionally, the ongoing EVA Discovery event allows you to play matches in Classic Mode or the new EVA-themed Ranked mode to gain Exploration Progress. This Progress can be exchanged for limited-time EVA-themed rewards.

Core Circle Mode

From the unlocks screen, you can press the ‘Battle’ button in the bottom right corner. This will zip you to the new Core Circle mode, which you may need to download. Don’t worry, it’s not too big. The Core Circle mode looks and plays a little different from the standard modes.

In Core Circle, you begin in a special shrunken Blue Zone. As you drop in, you can actually see the 6th Angel wreaking havoc on the map. It’s hard to miss. Once on the ground, the map will point you to the spawn point of the EVA-01 if you want to meet it, or you can play normally and catch a glimpse of the fearsome mech as it sprints across the landscape.

Playing Core Circle mode is the fastest way to get the Evangelion content.Playing Core Circle mode is the fastest way to get the Evangelion content.

You aren't actually fighting the Angel or the EVA (which goes berserk and becomes uncontrollable on occasion in the anime) yourself. Instead, their war is just a colorful decoration on the battlefield on your way to acquire chicken dinners and unlock Evangelion content. Comparing this to the anime, it actually makes some sense. The humanity-saving war between the Angels and EVA units is something terrifying and dangerous that happens in the background of an otherwise normal post-apocalyptic existence. All the citizens of Tokyo-3 can do while this war rages is stay out of the way.

Along with the EVA unit fighting the Angel, there are also fortresses on the map that will attack the Angel. The Angel will fire back, however, and level those fortresses, but you can collect the spoils of the destruction.

You can also track down various NERV buildings that are full of loot while exploring. NERV is the organization in the anime founded to develop the EVA units and combat the destructive Angels. These buildings look a bit like the NERV buildings in the anime, and also have barriers you can raise to fend off attackers, which is a nice touch.

Along with the chaos happening between the Angel, the EVA unit, and the fortresses, there are also more supply crates on the map in the Co, and there is a period near the beginning of the match when players can respawn with their found gear.

The event is currently live and will remain live until June 19.

GameSpot may get a commission from retail offers.

The products discussed here were independently chosen by our editors. GameSpot may get a share of the revenue if you buy anything featured on our site.

03

PUBG maker Krafton lines up $100m+ for Indian tech startups

Mumbai: South Korean game developer Krafton Inc, which has created the popular multiplayer battle royale game PlayersUnknown Battlegrounds (PUBG), plans to invest $100 million or more this year in Indian startups, its chief executive told ET.

PUBG Mobile was one of the Chinese apps that India had banned in June 2020 following border hostilities with China.

Krafton launched Battlegrounds Mobile India (BGMI) last year. Since the launch, BGMI has hit 100 million registered users, Changhan Kim said.

“It was unfortunate that PUBG Mobile was banned in India. After the ban, we made tremendous efforts and launched BGMI last July, which has been curated specifically for the Indian audience,” Kim said.

Krafton has become an active investor in media, gaming, and entertainment startups.

In the last one year, it has deployed $100 million across seven startups, including Pratilipi, Nodwin Gaming, and Kuku FM.

Discover the stories of your interest “While BGMI is performing well in India, we are also focused on the IP, media, and entertainment sector as a whole for holistic growth. We expect that overall investments in the rest of 2022 and next year will be equal to or larger than $100 million,” he said.

Despite the downturn in the global and Indian financial market, Krafton will support existing portfolio companies. “We also think that it's a good chance to score good deals in this market,” Kim added.

The Korean Stock Exchange-listed company posted $405.7 million in quarterly revenue, according to its consolidated financial statements for the first quarter of this year.

This was a record high revenue for any quarter, up 17.8% quarter-over-quarter and 13.5% higher year-over-year.

International markets (outside South Korea) drove 95% of its first-quarter revenue this year. BGMI has sustained an uptrend of market share and sales in India, it said.

“I cannot say that the sales efficiency is really great compared to the number of users in India. I think we're witnessing in India a similar circumstance that we have seen with the Chinese market 15 years ago. We are also putting our utmost efforts to become the most beloved game in the long term rather than focusing on short-term profit,” Kim said.

The success of crypto play-to-earn (P2E) games like Axie Infinity has led to the emergence of multiple startups in the sector. Additionally, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are seen as tools fuelling the in-game economy by several in the Web3 and gaming industry.

Kim said NFTs, metaverse, augmented and virtual reality gaming are technologies that are worth exploring but the company is not solely looking to focus on Web3 gaming.

In India, mobile gaming and sports media platform

is planning a foray into Web3 gaming. Similarly, sports NFT startups like Fancraze and Rario are looking at gaming to expand the utility of their NFTs.

While Krafton may explore Web3 to enrich the user experience, Kim said its focus will remain on gaming.

“People are talking a lot about the P2E concept. But that is not the direction that Krafton will take. Games should be fun to play, not a thing to do to earn something. We think that there are certain areas where game production technologies can have synergistic effects with Web3 technologies,” Kim said. “...lots of gaming companies have their own idea about it, in terms of interoperability, I think will take a long time to get there,” he added.

Krafton appointed Sean Hyunil Sohn as CEO of its India operations.

The company also plans to increase its workforce by 40-50% in the next one year.

“We are hiring at the management side. Given the size and scale of BGMI, we need to hire more talent and are hiring for marketing, management, and e-sports to localize efforts,” Kim said.