8bit Thug alleges PUBG Mobile India cancelled his PMIT invite because he streamed Call of Duty: Mobile
In a surprising turn of events, Animesh ‘Thug’ Agarwal has made claims that his invite to the PMIT grand finals has been rescinded by the PUBG Mobile India officials because he streamed Call of Duty Mobile on his channel. According to Thug’s Instagram, he was informed while on the way to Kolkata to attend the event.
Thug is one of the most influential PUBG Mobile personalities in India and has been an integral part of the scene. He has even been a commentator at the at previous PMIT LANs such as the one in Pune earlier this year. Thug is also the face of 8bit, a clan that is quite recognizable in the mobile gaming community. In fact, one of his squads, 8bit Rampage is one of the twenty teams who will be participating in the PMIT grand finals.
In a series of Instagram stories, Thug revealed that he was on his way to the PMIT grand finals, where he had been invited as a guest but found out that his invite had been rescinded. He expressed shock and surprise upon finding out and later went on to say “For someone who prioritised PUBGM, the community, the teams before himself, I am broken”. According to his posts, the reason behind it is the fact that he streamed Call of Duty: Mobile on his channel a few times in the last week or so.
This indeed is a surprising development considering a lot of streamers and players have showcased some amount of COD: Mobile gameplay on their channels since the launch of the title. Players like Sc0ut, who are also attending the PMIT Finals have also streamed CODM on their channels. While we do know that Sc0ut is in Kolkata, we cannot confirm whether he has gone on his own accord or he has been invited. But even then, lots of players and personalities are attending the event, as has been evident on social media.
Thug, MortaL and K18 casting the PMIT Group C Finals in Pune; Image via PUBG Mobile India Official
What’s more surprising is the fact that both PUBG Mobile and Call of Duty: Mobile are owned by the same company Tencent, so the decision seems a bit harsh and unnecessary if true. Hopefully, this issue gets resolved internally and without too much drama. Thug has indeed been a pillar for the PUBG Mobile India community and was even seen stepping in at PMIT Pune, to help convince players to play after they threatened a walkout. He is a well-respected member and an overall positive influence on the community having brokered peace between MortaL and Sc0ut when the two were at tiffs earlier this year.
