Krafton's PUBG Asia Stars 2026 Ruling Started the Boycott
The ruling itself is well documented. Krafton said it confirmed indications of violations of PUBG: Battlegrounds operating policy after a comprehensive investigation of official broadcasts, participant footage, in-game data and replays related to Himass and TanVuu. The investigation found the two players obtained information during matches that would be difficult to learn through normal play by watching another participant's live stream or using external information. The publisher called this "use of external game information and stream sniping." Stream sniping means watching an opponent's live broadcast to find out where they are or what they plan to do.
The penalties are as severe as Krafton's system allows. Both players have had their PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS game accounts permanently banned and are permanently disqualified from all official PUBG esports competitions organised or sanctioned by KRAFTON worldwide. That includes PUBG Global Championship (PGC), PUBG Global Series (PGS), PUBG Nations Cup (PNC). According to a summary of the official notice posted by PUBG analyst Patryk, the violations cited were Rule 5.10 of PUBG's Rules of Conduct, which bars stalking other players from match to match, and Rule 5.12, which bars manipulating match results. A breach of the pro player's duty of dignity and conduct was cited as well. The two players are Lã Phương Tiến Đạt, known as Himass of Anyone's Legend, and Trần Tấn Vũ, known as TanVuu of The Expendables. The account bans mean the two can't play PUBG at all, not just in tournaments.
Krafton's notice also admitted fault on its own side. It apologised again for operational problems that occurred during the initial response. Krafton said clear guidance and measures based on relevant principles were not provided from the start, and rules and procedures were not delivered quickly and consistently. Its September 23 Korean-language notice adds that it had never officially allowed this kind of outside information in any league or event, whatever the prize money, format or participants. Both players can appeal through PUBG esports' established process. There is no announced deadline for that process, according to ConsolePulse.
The event was a showmatch, which is central to the objections. PUBG Asia Stars was presented as a three-day regional event featuring 48 professionals, partners, and streamers from Korea, China, Japan, Thailand, Chinese Taipei, and Vietnam. It included eight arcade-style competitions plus a squad battle royale, with a total prize pool of $70,000. Inven Global reports that TanVuu's team, GAM x TE, did not deny that 'TanVuu' opened his personal stream chat during the match. However, the team argued that permanently banning his account and eligibility for all official tournaments was excessive, citing that personal streams were permitted in the showmatch event and that the specific infraction was not explicitly stated in the tournament rulebook at the time. Anyone's Legend stated it is reviewing regulations and procedures to support the player's right to appeal.
The start date of the event is disputed. VietNamNet says PUBG Asia Stars began on August 19. Other coverage places it in September: Sportstiger describes a week-long controversy that began on the opening day of the exhibition tournament, ending with the September 23 announcement. The September timing fits the rest of the record better. The date doesn't change the ruling.
Vietnamese Internet Cafés and Esports Clubs Pull PUBG PC
VietNamNet reports that fans first criticized the ruling and then organized a boycott. Players argued the rules were never clearly set out, and some accused Krafton of treating the Vietnamese players unfairly while favouring participants from South Korea, the host country. VietNamNet says similar criticism appeared in Thai and Chinese PUBG communities, where players questioned whether an exhibition event justified a lifetime ban.
Some community members also claimed Krafton had favoured a South Korean female streamer involved in the dispute. That remains a fan allegation. Krafton's own account runs the other way: Krafton officially apologized to Soopi, who suffered the greatest harm during the process, through a separate announcement. The publisher stated that it would request the removal and blocking of false claims, mockery, and illegally fabricated posts, and fully cooperate with Soopi's agency on legal action. Krafton also said it had checked similar claims against other participants and found no signs of violations requiring additional sanctions.
VietNamNet lists the following boycott announcements:
- Internet café operators Black Kingdom Gaming, CyberWorld, Win.D Gaming and Billards & PS5 said they were removing PUBG PC from thousands of computers.
- Esports clubs ESF-eSports FPTU HCMC, Nhan Van Esports and Greenwich Esports Vietnam said they would not lend their names to PUBG PC tournaments, exchanges, media programmes or related activities.
- Computer retailers Hacom and Xgear reportedly banned employees from playing PUBG PC in any form.
- Social network TOP Comments reportedly said employees caught downloading and playing the game would be fired immediately.
- Streamer Do Mixi and DJ Chip were among the well-known figures reported to have deleted the game from their computers.
All of these are stated intentions. Nobody has published per-venue machine counts, and nobody has checked whether each operator followed through. Still, the list covers commercial PC fleets, clubs, employers and individual players. For café operators the change is practical: uninstalling the game across a fleet, or removing it from the disk image their machines boot from, takes it off every seat at once. Players can't reinstall it themselves the way they could on a home PC.
Steam Blocks at Vietnamese ISPs Expose PUBG PC's Licensing Gap
The second pressure has nothing to do with the tournament. VietNamNet says PUBG PC is distributed in Vietnam without a local license through Steam, Epic Games, PlayStation and Xbox. It reports that access is already partly restricted: some Vietnamese internet service providers block Steam, so customers of those ISPs can't download PUBG PC from it.
The block is uneven. VietNamNet says Steam still works on some providers, and the game is still available through the other platforms it names. The ISP blocks therefore target a storefront, not the game itself. They also catch everything else on Steam, since an ISP-level block can't filter out a single title. The report doesn't name the ISPs or say when the blocks began, so readers can't tell from the reporting which connections are affected.
The claim that could affect the most players has the weakest sourcing. VietNamNet cites unnamed sources familiar with the matter who say authorities are considering measures to block the game completely because its unlicensed distribution breaks domestic rules. No public order or official government statement calling for a PUBG PC block has surfaced. For now, a comprehensive block is something officials are reported to be weighing. It has not been decided.
The mobile version is a useful contrast. VietNamNet notes that PUBG Mobile is officially licensed in Vietnam and operated by the local publisher VNGGames. Mobile players have a licensed operator in the country. PC players reach the game through global storefronts that have no local authorization for it.
Decree 147/2024/ND-CP Explains Why a Global Storefront Is Not a Vietnamese License
Vietnam's rules help explain why this can escalate. The official online-game portal run by the Authority of Broadcasting and Electronic Information, part of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, summarizes Decree 147/2024/ND-CP, dated November 9, 2024. The decree sorts online games into four classes. G1 games involve many players interacting at the same time through a company's game servers. G2, G3 and G4 cover games with less or no server-mediated interaction between players.
For G1 games, a company needs two things before release: a license to provide G1 game services and a separate release decision for each game. The portal lists conditions that a global storefront doesn't meet on its own:
- A foreign publisher must set up an enterprise in Vietnam, with foreign ownership capped at 49% under Vietnam's WTO commitments.
- Operators must verify players through Vietnamese phone numbers and keep records of each player's full name, date of birth and phone number.
- Daily playtime for players under 18 must be capped at 60 minutes per game and 180 minutes across all of an operator's games, and a health warning must appear on screen every 30 minutes.
- At least one server system must be located in Vietnam for inspections and complaint handling.
- Once approved, the release code and license details must be shown in the game's description on app stores and websites.
The portal also says operators may not advertise online games that lack a release decision or confirmation. It says game cards may not be used to top up unlicensed games.
A limit applies here. The regulations explain why operating without a license could draw enforcement, and PUBG's server-based multiplayer resembles the G1 description. The public record doesn't show how authorities have classified PUBG PC, which company, if any, has applied for authorization, or whether any PUBG-specific decision has been made. The decree gives regulators the framework, but it doesn't say what they will do in this case.
Krafton's KRX 259960 Share Dip Coincided With the Backlash
VietNamNet links the controversy to Krafton's stock. It reports that Krafton Inc. (KRX: 259960) fell from KRW 205,000 at the September 18 close to KRW 198,000 at the September 23 close, a 3.41% drop. It puts the fall in market capitalisation at roughly KRW 9.38 trillion to KRW 9.06 trillion, or about $234.7 million. Independent historical price data matches the two closing prices, and the percentage checks out.
The dates line up with the controversy, but nothing shows the boycott caused the decline. A 3.4% move over four trading days can have many causes, and there's no reporting linking investor selling to the Vietnam backlash.
What This Means for PUBG PC Players and Café Operators in Vietnam
Access is what Vietnamese PC players and café operators should plan around. The boycott is a choice. A licensing block would not be. Players outside Vietnam aren't affected by any of the access issues. Himass and TanVuu's future now depends on Krafton's appeal process, which has no published timeline.
Anyone in Vietnam who relies on Steam should note that the reported ISP blocks cover the whole storefront, not just PUBG. If Steam stops loading or downloads fail, that may be a provider-level restriction and not a local fault. VietNamNet hasn't said which networks are affected. Café operators thinking about dropping PUBG PC for the boycott may also be getting ahead of a possible regulatory risk, but no order exists yet.
- Krafton permanently banned Himass and TanVuu's PUBG accounts and barred both from all Krafton-sanctioned esports, including PGC, PGS and PNC. Both can still appeal.
- Krafton admitted it failed to communicate clear rules during PUBG Asia Stars 2026, while standing by its finding that both players used stream-sniped or outside information.
- Some Vietnamese ISPs reportedly block Steam, but access varies by provider, and PUBG PC is still available through Epic Games, PlayStation and Xbox.
- A full block of PUBG PC in Vietnam is reported to be under consideration by authorities, citing unnamed sources. No official order has been published.
- Decree 147/2024/ND-CP requires a local entity, phone-verified accounts, playtime limits for minors and a server in Vietnam for server-based multiplayer games. Global storefronts don't provide these by default.
- PUBG Mobile is licensed in Vietnam through VNGGames, so the mobile version isn't part of the licensing dispute.
The ban set off the boycott, but the licensing gap decides whether PUBG PC stays available in Vietnam. Boycotts usually fade after a news cycle. A block based on Decree 147 would not. The next thing to watch is whether Vietnamese regulators issue a formal decision on PUBG PC, and whether Krafton or a local partner seeks the G1 authorization that PUBG Mobile already has through VNGGames.