ONE Esports Becomes Official Media Partner for KRAFTON’s PUBG Esports

KRAFTON, the renowned South Korean esports conglomerate, has recently announced an exclusive partnership with ONE Esports, a prominent esports media platform, marking a significant development in the industry. The collaboration will entail ONE Esports managing the production and distribution of coverage for all PUBG: Battlegrounds esports tournaments organized by KRAFTON throughout 2023.

Under this agreement, ONE Esports will deliver content in various local languages, encompassing compelling short-form videos and written pieces. In addition, the company will have unprecedented access to professional teams and players, enabling them to create exclusive behind-the-scenes content, further enhancing the overall viewer experience.

ONE Esports, a subsidiary of Group ONE Holdings, one of Asia’s most prominent media companies, expressed great enthusiasm regarding this collaboration. Carlos Alimurung, CEO of ONE Esports, conveyed his excitement by stating, “We are thrilled to collaborate with KRAFTON to provide our community with high-quality coverage of PUBG Esports tournaments in 2023. With KRAFTON’s continuously expanding and action-packed competitive ecosystem, supported by our global media platform and experienced content team, we are eager to offer a captivating storytelling experience to PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and esports enthusiasts worldwide.”

Notably, ONE Esports has been actively strengthening its partnerships within the esports landscape. Earlier this year, the company extended its collaboration with the renowned Korean League of Legends series, LCK. Moreover, ONE Esports successfully launched a mobile app in conjunction with leading electronics manufacturer Samsung, showcasing their commitment to providing innovative and accessible esports experiences to a wide range of audiences.

The PUBG franchise has faced significant challenges in maintaining availability in certain countries, most notably India, where KRAFTON holds a substantial presence. In 2022, PUBG: Mobile (Battlegrounds Mobile India) was banned in India due to national security concerns following escalating tensions between India and China. However, recent developments have seen the game being unbanned, bringing relief to PUBG enthusiasts in the region.

It is worth noting that KRAFTON has a partial ownership stake held by the Chinese conglomerate Tencent, which is itself partially owned by the Chinese government. Despite these intricate ownership dynamics, both PUBG Mobile and PUBG: Battlegrounds have actively embraced esports partnership programs, following the successful model set by VALORANT’s VCT, which notably does not require significant upfront payments.

Overall, this strategic partnership between KRAFTON and ONE Esports represents a significant step forward in elevating the PUBG esports ecosystem, fostering innovation, and delivering captivating content to the ever-growing community of PUBG: Battlegrounds and esports enthusiasts worldwide.