PUBG Asia Stars 2026 is a friendly showmatch hosted by KRAFTON that began on September 17, 2026 with 48 players and streamers from six regions: Vietnam, South Korea, China, Japan, Thailand and Chinese Taipei, with a total prize pool of about $70,000 according to Kênh14. After just the first day, the event became the biggest controversy in Asian PUBG, setting off an unprecedented reaction in Vietnam’s gaming community.
Quick summary
- Accused: Himass (Anyone’s Legend) and TanVuu (The Expendables, organized by GAM x TE)
- Accuser: Korean streamer Soopi (Gen.G)
- Allegation: stream sniping — reading livestream chat on a second monitor to learn opponents’ positions
- Outcome: KRAFTON permanently banned their PUBG accounts and all official KRAFTON esports (September 23, 2026)
- Flashpoints: vague rules, KRAFTON admitting hasty handling, a penalty seen as too harsh and inconsistent
- Now: both teams object to the penalty and are seeking a path to appeal
Context: a friendly event with “relaxed” rules
This is not an official esports tournament but a showmatch. According to community summaries and Vietnamese media, the rules were much looser than events such as PGC or PGS and did not clearly address opening livestreams or reading chat during play. Per Kênh14, Team VIE members asked the organizers about this before the event but received no clear answer. That is the Vietnamese side’s account; KRAFTON has not published a detailed confirmation or rebuttal.
Key figures
- Himass: Anyone’s Legend player, highly regarded by Vietnamese PUBG fans
- TanVuu: player for The Expendables (GAM x TE)
- Soopi: Korean streamer born in 2000, active since 2020, joined Gen.G as a Creator on April 12, 2024 and holds PUBG Partner Streamer status from KRAFTON
Timeline
- Sept 17 – Day 1: Soopi accuses the two Vietnamese players of repeatedly knowing her position and eliminating her. According to KRAFTON, both received information from viewer chat that a fair player could not know. Both are removed from the rest of the event.
- Sept 18–19: KRAFTON confirms both received outside information, removes them from the remaining matches and revokes their PUBG Vietnam Partner status (sources give different dates).
- Day 2: Korean teams boycott in protest.
- Day 3: KRAFTON cancels play and does not publish final standings; some sponsors consider withdrawing.
- Sept 20: Soopi posts a video explanation; the Vietnamese community begins digging through VODs and questioning the consistency of the handling.
- Sept 21: Himass and TanVuu apologize publicly (per Kênh14, at KRAFTON’s request). Around the same time PUBG publishing head Soojin Yoon apologizes, takes “full responsibility,” confirms the players’ violation and says disciplinary procedures are under way (some outlets say Sept 22).
- Sept 23: KRAFTON announces the official penalty.
KRAFTON’s penalty
- Permanent ban on the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS accounts of Himass and TanVuu
- Permanent ban from all official KRAFTON esports, including PGC, PGS and PNC
- Effective immediately; both players may submit an explanation and appeal under existing procedures
KRAFTON said it reviewed official broadcasts, participant footage, in-game data and replay files. It maintains it has never officially allowed watching another participant’s livestream or using outside information during a match, in any event, regardless of scale.
The core of the dispute
- Vague rules: KRAFTON itself admitted that before the event it had not established clear guidance and sanctions on the use of outside information
- Conduct not denied: GAM x TE does not deny that TanVuu opened livestream chat during the match, but argues personal streams were permitted in this showmatch and the specific ban was not in the rules
- Penalty size: many argue a permanent ban on accounts and careers is too severe for a friendly event, especially given KRAFTON’s admitted operational faults
- Consistency: streamer Rambo posted images showing Soopi also had multiple windows or tabs open while streaming. However, the summary articles themselves note this does not mean she used opponents’ streams, Soopi says she did not hack or intentionally stream-snipe, and KRAFTON has reached no conclusion about her
What KRAFTON admitted
- It had not set clear guidance and penalties for outside information before the event
- Initial notices did not clearly describe the conduct and individuals involved
- Korean and Vietnamese announcements differed
- It failed to protect Korean players from online bullying
KRAFTON apologized to Soopi — whom it says suffered the greatest harm — and pledged to request removal of false posts, provide legal support if she sues and monitor harassment. Per Kênh14, Soopi later asked to have her Partner status revoked. KRAFTON also opened an internal review of event operations, announcements, investigations and decision-making.
The teams respond
GAM x TE (representing TanVuu) asked for the penalty to be reconsidered as excessive. Anyone’s Legend is reviewing regulations, rulebook wording and player guidance before a formal appeal, stressing it wants “fair, transparent and consistent” standards rather than special treatment. Both teams asked for an end to personal attacks, nationality-based harassment and unverified claims about the players and their families.
How the Vietnamese community reacted
- Several well-known streamers and figures, including Độ Mixi, PewPew, Rambo and DJ Chip, defended the two players or criticized the handling
- A boycott wave spread; many gamers reported deleting PUBG PC in protest
- A campaign site calling for “fairness for Himass and TanVuu” (not an independent source) demands clear rules before severe penalties, individual transparent investigation, proportionate sanctions and appeals with documented outcomes
- Per Kênh14, KRAFTON’s share price fell 3.41% during this period, roughly $234.7 million in market value; this is a single-source figure OtaHub has not independently verified
A Threads post explaining Vietnam’s standing in PUBG esports (over 11.5K likes) also helped the story spread; it argues Himass is among the world’s top players — an opinion by the author, not an official conclusion.
Unconfirmed community-reported claims
Beyond news coverage, many details circulate on forums and social media, including a summary by a user on the PUBG Steam community. This is user-posted content, not confirmed by KRAFTON or the press; OtaHub records it to show the state of public opinion:
- The poster says the showmatch rules were “much more relaxed” than official events and rules on watching streams were unclear
- The two players reportedly asked Vietnam’s regional organizers beforehand and were told this was acceptable in a friendly event
- The poster claims multiple clips show Soopi also reading chat during play without being punished, calling it evidence of bias. This is the poster’s interpretation, not an investigation finding
- After Korean teams protested and Day 3 was canceled, the poster says KRAFTON split prize money equally across regions instead of ranking teams; OtaHub has found no official confirmation
These are all allegations or one-sided accounts. Readers should compare them with KRAFTON’s official notices and independent reports as they emerge.
What is confirmed and what is not
- Confirmed (by KRAFTON): both players received outside information during matches; the permanent ban on September 23; KRAFTON’s faults in guidance, notices and player protection
- Confirmed (by the teams): TanVuu opened personal livestream chat; both teams object to the penalty
- No conclusion yet: whether the information was actually used to gain an advantage; the allegations aimed at Soopi; the outcome of appeals
What to watch next
- The outcome of Himass’s and TanVuu’s appeals
- The result of KRAFTON’s internal review and new rules on outside information
- Whether sponsors keep backing PUBG events
- The long-term effect of the boycott on the PUBG PC community in Vietnam
Sources: Inven Global, Digital Today, Talk Esport, Liquipedia PUBG, PUBG Steam community (user post), Kênh14, Esports Fan, CafeBiz, Justice for PUBG VN summary site (advocacy content), Threads post by @weewaaheehaa. Information as of September 24, 2026; dates between sources may differ and will be updated as appeals are resolved.