PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS (PUBG) developer Bluehole and ESL are partnering to bring a PUBG esports event to Gamescom.
The PUBGInvitational will take place at the games show from August 23rd to 26th, 2017 in Cologne, Germany.
It will feature a $350,000 prize pool and 80 of the world’s best PUBG players and influencers taking part.
There are UK PUBG players and streamers including Gary “BreaK” Marshall who plays for TSM.
While it’s not UK-specific news, PUBG’s growth is impossible to ignore.
It’s been the No.1 game on Twitch for a little while now and has sold more than six million copies in four months since its Early Access launch on March 23rd. Peak concurrent users have surpassed the 422,000 mark.
The Gamescom PUBG Invitational will include Solo mode, Duo mode, Duo FPP (First Person Perspective) mode and Squad mode across the four-day event, where the best overall score from three games played will determined the winner.
Announcing the $350,000 Gamescom @PUBATTLEGROUNDS Invitational presented by Bluehole & @ESL!https://t.co/C73EHQxvUh pic.twitter.com/433EH3GlM5
— ESL PUBG (@ESLPUBG) July 25, 2017
Starting from August 3rd, Bluehole is giving players the ability to purchase vanity items in PUBG with the proceeds to be used as prizing for winners at the Gamescom PUBG Invitational and for charities of Bluehole’s selection.
The event will be broadcast every day at 4pm CEST on the official PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS Twitch, YouTube and social media channels.
“We’re thrilled to see PUBG enhancing its already amazing in-game experience with a competitive LAN component at Gamescom.”
Ralf Reichert, ESL
It’s a last-man-standing shooter that drops players on an 8x8km island. Starting with nothing, gamers must fight to locate weapons, vehicles and supplies as they strive to be the lone survivor.
“We’re thrilled to see PUBG enhancing its already amazing in-game experience with a competitive LAN component at Gamescom” said Ralf Reichert, CEO at ESL.
Dom is an award-winning writer and finalist of the Esports Journalist of the Year 2023 award. He graduated from Bournemouth University with a 2:1 degree in Multi-Media Journalism in 2007.
As a long-time gamer having first picked up the NES controller in the late ’80s, he has written for a range of publications including GamesTM, Nintendo Official Magazine, industry publication MCV and others. He worked as head of content for the British Esports Federation up until February 2021, when he stepped back to work full-time on Esports News UK and offer esports consultancy and freelance services. Note: Dom still produces the British Esports newsletter on a freelance basis, so our coverage of British Esports is always kept simple – usually just covering the occasional press release – because of this conflict of interest.
