The PUBG Corporation, developer of PUBG Mobile, today announced significant changes to the PUBG Mobile esports ecosystem in 2022.
Starting immediately, the changes include a new look for the PUBG MOBILE Pro League, new regions in the PUBG Mobile Club Open, as well as changes to the PUBG MOBILE National Championship.
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After a successful 2021 which saw a record number of viewers for PUBG MOBILE, the PUBG Corporation is starting 2022 with a set of changes to its top leagues.
The first change is tied to the PUBG Mobile Pro League (PMPL). The top PUBG Mobile league will take on a new format, changing the existing seasonal relegation format to a one-year cycle.
The PMPL will also see a change in certain regions, notably the EMEA and MENA & SA. These regions will now be classed as Europe, South Asia and Middle East & Africa. Lastly, PUBG Mobile will introduce two new regions to the PMPL: PMPL Africa and PMPL Pakistan.
The PUBG Mobile Club Open (PMCO) will also be restructured. According to a release, the competition will shift to regional amateur and semi-pro levels with new tournaments taking place in South America, Europe, Africa, Middle East and Asia. The PMCO teams will no longer qualify directly to the Pro League, but will instead compete through the PMNC and the PMNC Regional cups with a chance to reach the Pro League in 2023.
In an interview with Esports Insider last year, James Yang, Director of PUBG Mobile, said that 2022 will be a year of growth with a focus on the regional leagues for the mobile version of PUBG, and those plans saw daylight today.
Yang commented today on the expansion of the league in a release: “2021 was an extraordinary year for us, continuing with the expansion of our amateur to pro ecosystem, and being able to offer one of the highest prize pools in mobile esports history to competing teams.”
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PUBG Corporation also commented on the expansion: “Amateur & Semi-Pro teams will be able to freely compete in PUBG MOBILE Esports authorised events throughout the year to qualify for PMNC at the end of the year. The changes have been made to empower regions and allow a wider range of competitions to feed into the PMPLs.”
Esports Insider says: PUBG Mobile saw massive success in 2021, so the developer has naturally doubled down on efforts to bring PUBG Mobile esports to more viewers and regions. This shift will make the Pro League more competitive, and also give more chances for smaller teams to climb the ranks of this up-and-coming esports title.
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