Prominent Vietnamese gamers delete PUBG en masse after controversial penalty at PUBG Asia Stars 2026

On September 17, 2026, a wave of PUBG deletions started in Vietnam. Many popular streamers, including Do Mixi and PewPew, removed PUBG from their schedules and stopped producing related content. The trigger was a penalty from KRAFTON at PUBG Asia Stars 2026. Two Vietnamese players, Himass and TanVuu, were disqualified and lost their PUBG Vietnam Partner status after being accused of stream sniping. PUBG Asia Stars 2026 gathered 48 players and streamers from multiple regions. It was designed as an influencer-facing event rather than a top-tier professional league. The controversy began when Korean streamer Soopi and the Korean esports community questioned the two Vietnamese players. Himass and TanVuu admitted opening livestream chat and receiving outside information, but denied directly watching opponents' screens. KRAFTON removed them from the event and revoked their Partner status. However, the rules did not clearly prohibit stream sniping. That created a due-process gap. Many Vietnamese players believed the penalty was too harsh and lacked a legitimate basis. Do Mixi, PewPew, and many KOLs then announced they would delete PUBG. Internet cafe owners also joined the boycott, which raised the pressure to the ecosystem level. The core issue is trust. Korean fans saw cheating; Vietnamese fans saw injustice. Without transparent evidence, the debate became emotional and political. KRAFTON now faces a difficult choice: keep the penalty and lose Vietnamese trust, or reverse it and lose face with the Korean community. The best path is to publish evidence and open a direct dialogue with representatives from both sides. This incident is a reminder that in esports, clear rules, objective evidence, and fair appeal procedures are essential. If KRAFTON updates its rulebook and improves communication, the community could recover. Otherwise, the boycott may spread beyond PUBG and damage KRAFTON's position in Vietnam. The final outcome depends on whether the publisher treats the community as a partner, not a target of control.