PUBG on FACEIT will be fully launched after the competitive game platform reported more than 200,000 sign-ups during its beta phase.
Working in partnership with game developer PUBG Corporation, FACEIT launched a closed beta trial to incorporate the battle royale title PLAYERUNKNOWN'S BATTLEGROUNDS in August and is set for a full launch at 5pm BST on Friday, September 28.
PUBG on FACEIT will allow players to create tournaments, manage lobbies and pull game stats. Users will also be able to compete in the Leagues and Ladders system, playing solo or in teams.
We were blown away by the positive feedback
FACEIT is home to more than 8m registered users and already offers tournament structures for games including Dota 2, League of Legends and Rocket League.
In particular, FACEIT is synonymous with CSGO and this month hosted its first Major - in London.
FACEIT CEO Niccolo Maisto said: “While we anticipated high levels of success with the closed beta, we were blown away by the positive feedback and the number of sign-ups.
"The integration we developed with PUBG allows players to be in a match within seconds and we’re excited to welcome everyone on the platform to jump in and experience our competitive battleground.
"PUBG is continually proving its fierce potential as an esport, and we’re thrilled to be a part of that exciting journey by offering players unprecedented opportunities to develop their skills.”
Hyowon Yoo, of PUBG Corporation, said: “The FACEIT integration offers our community a uniquely competitive framework to play PUBG at a level they haven’t experienced before.
"The closed beta proved the value of our partnership, and we can’t wait to watch the competitive scene develop further.”
PUBG esports and the battle with Fortnite
Since its launch in 2017, a burgeoning competitive scene has emerged around PUBG, with several big-name teams entering the pro scene.
The likes of FaZe, Team Liquid, Cloud 9 and Na'Vi - all major players in the world of CSGO - have PUBG rosters and while tournament prize pools are still relatively small, the soaring popularity of the battle royale genre has helped peak interest in the scene.
Research suggests that PUBG is more popular with "core gamers" than Fortnite, the other big battle royale game.
A report by data research company Newzoo released in May 2018 said: "Looking at gamers who play either title exclusively, Fortnite players skew younger with 68% of them aged between 10 and 30 versus 60% of PUBG players.
"Fortnite also has a greater share of students (19% versus 12%) while PUBG players are more likely to be full-time employees (65% versus 50%).
"The differences in player demographics may be explained in part by the fact that Fortnite is free to play, has a more accessible aesthetic, and features less demanding system requirements.
"PUBG players are also more likely to identify as core gamers, while a larger share of Fortnite players indentifies as a casual gamer (24% versus 17%), underlying Fortnite’s appeal to a larger gamer audience.
"When it comes to esports, a slightly larger share of PUBG players is watching it several times per month.
"Interestingly, PUBG is not the most regularly watched esport by PUBG players, which may be explained by the newness of PUBG as a competitive title in comparison to long-established titles, such as League of Legends.
"Both Fortnite and PUBG players regularly watch live-streamed video game content, but PUBG players are considerably more likely to stream themselves – 49% versus 36%.
"PUBG players are also more engaged with the gaming community, with nearly two-thirds visiting online gaming community websites weekly in comparison to 55% of Fortnite players."
It will be interesting to see the affect PUBG FACEIT has on the game's standing within esports in what is clearly an increasingly competitive space.
