The PUBG MOBILE Esports Director, James Yang recently held a press conference where he revealed details about the upcoming PUBG MOBILE World League Season Zero, future plans for the esports ecosystem and some more details.
How Will The Tournament Be Held Online?
One burning question that everyone has on their minds is how teams from different regions will play together. The East Division has players from 11 countries while the West Division has players from 25 countries. This makes holding online competitions extremely difficult.
According to James, the team already has a lot of experience in conducting tournaments online as a major chunk of their events are being held online. This will be one of the crucial factors that is allowing them to try and hold an online event of this scale. James explains that making this event possible isn’t magic. “We tried to solve the basic problems. We identify the server which best suits everyone. We find the connections that connect well to this server. We do some testing in terms of devices. Despite this, if some players are still not able to find stability, the easiest solution is to fly the players to a different location like a hotel, where we can better control the problems. We also have a budget to help players improve connections in their homes”
On top of this the team has designed a tool to help maintain the integrity of the competition and make the field fairer for everyone. There will be still some amount of discrepancy but this will be the best possible solution.
Content
Unlike last year's finals, it will not be possible to have live performances done by celebrities. However, some sort of performances and shoulder content will be available for the viewers. This will include interviews and other fun segments. A documentary has also been made but it whether or not it will be ready for release was not mentioned.
A Huge Announcement To Be Made During the PMWL
One of the things that was teased during the session was that during the PMWL there will be some sort of big announcement regarding the future of PUBG MOBILE esports. Updates on the PUBG MOBILE World Championship will also be made during this time.
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The Results of Season Zero Will Not Affect the Upcoming Seasons
Originally there was World League Season 1 which was this season and then World League season 2 later in the year. These two events would allow teams to go to the World Championship. But now, since its season 0 and its online, there is some amount of risk there. Therefore there is no factor of next season transfer or impact.
While a consideration can be made for the winners, as of now, no such decision had been made. However, from season 1 to season 2 there will be a transfer of teams. If pro teams have to start from scratch every time then it's not good for the ecosystem. The PUBG MOBILE Esports division has already been in touch with professional teams and although there isn’t a confirmation on how many teams will retain their spots, such a provision has been made.
The PUBG MOBILE World League Season Zero will kick off on July 10 and will be a month long event lasting up till August 9. The tournament has a 850K USD prize pool, split evenly between the two divisions.