PUBG Mobile is a free-to-play battle royale video game adaptation of the PC and console game PUBG: Battlegrounds, co-developed by LightSpeed & Quantum Studio and PUBG Studios.
Initially released for Android and iOS on March 19, 2018, PUBG Mobile has become an esports success in its own right, winning Esports Mobile Game of the Year at the Esports Awards in 2022, and it was the highest-grossing game of 2020 with $2.6 billion.
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In 2024, PUBG Mobile esports had a peak viewership of 985,418, and a total prize pool of $16.3 million, dwarfing the original PUBG: Battlegrounds’ esports figures, with its peak viewership of 510,997, and a total prize pool of $6.8 million.
Yet, despite being one of the most played mobile video games of all time, with the game and its esports scene’s popularity soaring in regions like Southeast Asia, South Asia, and the Middle East, the game faces hurdles in Western Europe and North America, where mobile gaming still lags behind more traditional platforms like PC and console.
Speaking to Sportcal (GlobalData Sport), James Yang, senior director of Tencent and senior director of global esports for Level Infinite, the publisher of PUBG Mobile, delves into the evolving landscape of mobile esports, the strategic direction for PUBG Mobile in the next few years, and the challenges and opportunities in monetizing an industry still finding its footing in western markets.
How do you see the mobile esports ecosystem evolving in the next five to 10 years, and what role do you think PUBG Mobile will play in that development?
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By GlobalData“We started PUBG Mobile esports in 2018, and at the time mobile esports had just begun, so I believe PUBG Mobile is one of the leading titles in mobile esports. We have the biggest viewership as a battle royale game, and we were nominated by the Game Awards as one of the best esports games.
“However, mobile esports is not recognized much yet in Western Europe, it's very undervalued. But mobile esports is already mainstream in Southeast Asia, South Asia, the Middle East, Brazil, Turkey, and all regions except for Western Europe and North America.
“But mobile gain is almost 50% of the total market size, and there are huge amounts of players with devices. So eventually, I believe mobile sports will also be mainstream in Western Europe, but it will take time.
“So in three to five years I believe I will be able to just say the phrase ‘mobile esports’, I don't need to say why mobile esports? What is mobile esports? Everybody will already have a clear idea what it is. That's the question I’ve gotten the most since 2018, what is mobile esports, and how mobile esports can have any chance to grow, even some people say mobile esports isn’t even another esports.”
Why do you think Western Europe and the US are so slow to adopt mobile esports?
“It's about the conceptual perception of mobile gaming itself. Because in Asia mobile devices are gaming devices. It's a network gaming device, not everybody has a PC or console, so for them mobile devices are their most important device for playing games.
“But in Western Europe, I think it’s the PC and console. This industry began much earlier, so for them, that’s their default device for gameplay in their mind. So mobile devices are seen as more for phoning or just playing casual games.
“So if you look at the mobile game rankings, it's obvious that in Asia you see some very strong core serious games, like MMORPGs and action games are top-ranked, but in the west, you see simulation or puzzle games are on top for mobile.
“But games like ours being free to play has already challenged the mainstream business model, even for consoles recently, but it was not really accepted 10 years ago. So it takes time, but I think the industry is already getting changed.”
What are PUBG Mobile's goals in 2025?
“As time passes, we are trying to be more versatile and a better fit for the overall dynamic in the market. So when we started in 2018 we didn't even have the Pro League. We started amateur first. Over time, we made the Pro League Global tournament and more.
“So next year we have the target to make amateur bigger and much more enhanced, because we believe that since in battle royale games, you have 100 players playing together, that means that it's a very community-based game, so we believe that in battle royale games it’s really good to have a robust amateur ecosystem.
“Because we have already built a top global event and the pro layers, this year we're trying to make amateur much bigger, so there are more entry points.
“So next year that’s our plan, but we still also need to let more people know about our esports, especially Western Europe. We still need to improve and increase our overall voice, and I believe this year, this PMGC is a really good chance to do that. So we are happy to hold this PMGC in UK, London, and next year, I hope we can have a lot of success here.”
How does PUBG Mobile approach the monetization of its esports events?
“Esports events can be split into two, B2C and B2B. For B2B, mainly its sponsorship and media licensing. Also we have the big, greatest sponsor, like Infinix, as our mobile phone sponsor, and also Qiddiya.
“However, we are not eager to make profit from esports, because esports is the service for the game publisher, so our target is to let more people know about the PUBG Mobile game, to focus more on B2C.
“Still, I think the esports industry hasn’t put much effort into making B2C revenue from audiences, but I believe as time passes it will be important to support our fandom to contribute more to pro players and pro teams and the tournament, to make esports more sustainable.”
How does PUBG Mobile choose who it partners with for these events?
“We are much more open. We need more friends so we are happy to talk and get more proposals or ideas from any good companies who want to work with us. So overall, we do not have a very hard condition requirement to be our partner. So we welcome more partners.
“It is also important to see what kind of tournaments they have done so far, and also how much they understand our product and the property, mobile and portable esports.
“Additionally, can they also add value that we never expected? We are happy to try something bold and unique or creative, if this partner can make us freeze by what they are trying to do in a new way, then we welcome this.”
What has been the biggest success for PUBG Mobile in 2024?
“We have the biggest viewership for a battle royale game, and we also have achieved a lot in terms of the tournaments successfully done in all regions. But in 2024 overall, it's PMGC in London, 2024. Maybe it's a little bit early for me to say, but I can say this is the biggest so far.”
