PUBG

KRAFTON achieves 3Q23 sales of £279.8M

written by John

Sales and Operating Profit climb to 42% as KRAFTON claims highest Operating Profit Margin among listed game companies in S. Korea for Q323

November 7, 2023 – KRAFTON Inc. (CEO CH Kim) announced its 3Q23 preliminary earnings on November 7.

KRAFTON recorded its 3Q23 sales at £279.8M GBP, Operating Profit at £117.6M GBP and Net Profit at £131.4M GBP in accordance with the Korean International Financial Reporting Standards (K-IFRS). Sales and OP both climbed 16% QoQ and 44% QoQ, respectively, which translates to 4% YoY and 31% YoY, respectively. KRAFTON posted its 3Q23 cumulative sales at £855.1M and OP at £375.2M GBP, claiming the highest OPM among the listed game companies in Korea.

This achievement in sales and OP is largely attributed to the stable revenue generated across all platforms by PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS IP. On PC/Console, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS updated its classic maps Miramar and Erangel and introduced new weapon Dragunov, all of which offered new gameplay experiences for users in 3Q23. Engaging in direct communication with users and actively gathering feedback through the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Director Live Talk since August, the company has achieved sales of £82.8M GBP on PC/Console.

As for Mobile, sales picked up 26% QoQ and 9% YoY to £192.0M GBP driven by PUBG MOBILE’s Dragon Ball Super collaboration and the resumption of BATTLEGROUNDS MOBILE INDIA (BGMI) services. In India, hosting large-scale Esports competitions and providing localized content helped sales and traffic return to previous levels while BGMI has further solidified its position as the most popular game in the Indian market with a steady inflow of new users.

With its strategic direction of “Scale-Up the Creative” since early-2023, KRAFTON has been enhancing its publishing capabilities and focusing on new IP acquisition, thereby gaining a foothold to take another leap forward. This year, up until the third quarter, KRAFTON has made equity investments in a total of 13 global studios, focusing on strengthening publishing capabilities and acquiring new IPs. As such, the number of global studios in which KRAFTON has invested since going public has increased to 21.

KRAFTON’s self-developed new titles are set to connect with fans starting in 2024. Among these are, ‘Dark and Darker Mobile,’ an extraction RPG independently developed by Bluehole Studio, and ‘inZOI,’ a life-simulation game featuring realistic graphics. Furthermore, the company is poised to bolster its earnings with a lineup of forthcoming releases, including an extraction shooter genre game, ‘Project Black Budget,’ currently being developed by PUBG STUDIOS and scheduled for launch in 2H24.

Dongkeun Bae, CFO of KRAFTON, stated, “KRAFTON is growing steadily based on the ongoing potential of the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS IP,” and added, “Moving forward, KRAFTON aims to become a company known for launching major new titles and highly anticipated games every year, by expanding our pipeline aggressively with our own game development and second-party publishing.”

	Earnings (3Q23)	Earnings (2Q23)	% chg (QoQ)	Earnings (3Q22)	% chg (YoY)
Sales	£279.8	£240.5	16.3%	£269.5	3.8%
OP	£117.6	£81.7	44.0%	£89.8	30.9%

▲Table: KRAFTON’s 3Q23 (preliminary) earnings on a consolidated basis (unit: 1 million GBP) Original figures in South Korean Won (KRW), converted to GBP using 6 November 2023 exchange rate for this press release.

About KRAFTON, Inc.

Headquartered in South Korea, KRAFTON, Inc. is dedicated to discovering and publishing captivating games that offer fun and unique experiences. Established in 2007, KRAFTON is home to globally renowned developers that include PUBG STUDIOS, Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, VECTOR NORTH, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montréal Studio, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, 5minlab, Dreamotion, ReLU Games and Flyway Games. Each studio strives to continuously take on new challenges and leverage innovative technologies. Their goal is to win over more fans by broadening KRAFTON’s platforms and services.

KRAFTON is responsible for premier entertainment properties, including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG MOBILE, The Callisto Protocol, NEW STATE MOBILE, Moonbreaker, Defense Derby and TERA. With a passionate and driven team across the globe, KRAFTON is a tech-forward company that possesses world-class capabilities and is set on expanding its business horizons to encompass multimedia entertainment and deep learning. For more information, visit www.krafton.com.

8 November 2023 0 comment

Mobile Esports PUBG

PUBG MOBILE WORLD INVITATIONAL (PMWI) – TEAMS PREPARE FOR ALLSTARS VOTE

written by John

Teams across the world are gearing up for this year’s PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI), with a fan vote that will allow players to get more involved in the tournament.

The 2023 PMWI ALLSTARS Vote begins on the 26th May and will directly determine which teams qualify for the first stage of the tournament.
Teams with the most votes from each of the 14 PUBG MOBILE Pro League (PMPL) regions will qualify for the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage, which takes place between 11th-13th July.
Following their fantastic performance and victory at the 2022 PMWI, Vampire Esports, the 2022 PMWI Main Tournament & Afterparty Champion, have received the special invitation to the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage.

LOS ANGELES, 16th May, 2023 – PUBG MOBILE fans look out–this month is set to be full of excitement as teams across the world gear up for 2023 PUBG MOBILE World Invitational (PMWI) qualification, powered by Gamers8, the world’s largest gaming and esports festival. Supporters will have an exciting opportunity to help qualify their favourite team in the first part of the tournament through a fan vote, kicking off on 26th May through the in-game PMWI ALLSTARS Vote event. Taking place between 11th-16th July, PMWI is split into two stages, the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage which will run through the first half of the competition, and the PMWI Main Tournament which commences from the 14th of July.

The 2023 PMWI ALLSTARS Vote starts on the 26th May and players can expect to see all the teams gearing up on social media to rally support from their followers. Players should be sure to check in on their favourite team’s social channels closer to the date for more information on what they can do to help. With the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage dependent solely on fan votes, the teams will need their fans more than ever!

Only the PMPL Spring teams from the 14 PMPL regions are eligible for the vote. The team with the most votes from each region will qualify for the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage. Players should stay tuned on social media to both PUBG MOBILE ESPORTS and their favourite teams’ channels for further details, where they can find out how to help support their team gain enough votes to qualify for PMWI. Players must reach level 9 in PUBG MOBILE to be able to participate in voting.

Following their fantastic performance and victory at the 2022 PMWI, Vampire Esports, the 2022 PMWI Main Tournament & Afterparty Champion, have received the special invitation to the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage. There they’ll battle it out against other teams to compete for qualification to the PMWI Main Stage. In a format update, the top six teams of the PMWI ALLSTARS Stage will now be able to progress to the PMWI Main Stage.

About PUBG MOBILE:
PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.

For more information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILE accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube.

PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.

About “Gamers8 – The Land Of Heroes”:
Gamers8 is the world’s largest esports and gaming festival and the destination for elite esports champions and gaming universe lovers. It’s the ultimate place to compete for glory and become a hero walking among the worlds of your chosen story. Located in Riyadh at the heart of Saudi Arabia, Gamers8 spans a period of eight weeks from July to September 2023, with new challenges and experiences unlocked every week. You can watch the world’s top esports teams compete for the highest prize pools, attend performances by global music artists, experience your favourite gaming platforms come to life, and learn the mysteries behind the creation of video games. Gamers8 is your world and it’s your adventure to choose.

“Gamers8: The Land of Heroes” follows the success of last year’s Gamers8 at Boulevard Riyadh City. Gamers8 2022 saw the world’s best teams and players battle it out across five top titles – Rocket League, Dota 2 Riyadh Masters, Fortnite, Tom Clancy’s Rainbow Six Siege and PUBG Mobile – for a prize pool of $15million. The 2022 event was visited by more than 1.4 million visitors and watched by more than 132 million people around the globe. A total of 391 professional players – representing more than 61 nationalities – and 113 international teams took part in the world-class esports competitions.

Gamers8: The Land of Heroes has a total prize pool of $45 million – more than double last year’s grand prize total – and will host the elite of esports in a state of the art, purpose-built venue at Boulevard Riyadh City. The festival will conclude with a gaming and esports forum, known as “The Next World Forum”, that brings together sector leaders and experts from around the world.

16 May 2023 0 comment

PUBG

PUBG Finland partners with Challengermode to simplify their grassroots PUBG efforts

written by Sophie Banda

Leading global esports platform Challengermode will be the home of this year’s “PSL Elisa Esports PUBG Autumn Showdown” as well as the “Winter Challenge” – organized by PUBG Finland. This partnership will provide all PUBG players with the opportunity to compete in high-level tournaments and win prize money, with Challengermode’s streamlined and automated tournament solution enabling PUBG Finland staff to focus on their high-level event production.

PSL will be hosting tournaments on Challengermode’s platform with prizes of 500 EUR every week. Each tournament will consist of a massive open qualifier on day 1, where the best teams advance into the second day to win a share of the prize pool. The top 4 teams each week will also qualify for a special Monthly Final with a larger prizepool of 1000 EUR up for grabs. All matches will be played with the SUPER scoring system with which PUBG players are familiar.

Winners of the Monthly Finals will also secure a spot in PSL Season 10, where the best EMEA-teams will compete for a 15 000 EUR prize pool over seven rounds of non-stop PUBG action. Any players engaging with PSL through the Challengermode platform will also be able to unlock even more competitions to compete in weekly subscriber-only tournaments that boast their own prize pools and guarantee top-level competition.

Phil Hubner, CBDO of Challengermode: “Tournaments like the PSL Elisa Esports PUBG Autumn Showdown & Winter Challenge are at the very heart of what Challengermode supports as a business. The grassroots and amateur levels of competition in the esports space are the industry’s lifeblood and giving players the opportunity to play in a professional environment and compete for prizes is essential to its growth and continued success. It has been rewarding to see our platform’s automation and scalability be put to the best possible use with PUBG Finland, as it helps them make esports more accessible to all.”

Matti Korvenmaa, Development Manager at PUBG Finland: “PUBG Finland and PSL have always been about creating new opportunities and finding optimal ways of exploring them. When we saw Challengermode’s latest developments on their platform, we immediately knew that they have taken technological leadership amongst PUBG esport platforms. They enable us to do things which simply were not possible for us before. For tournament organizers they provide unmatched features together with important high-level support for our staff, which can now focus on core elements of our operations instead of technical details.”

Contenders can sign-up on the Challengermode platform, with the first round taking place today. All Weekly tournament finals and monthly finals will be broadcast. Challengermode will also be hosting the PSL Elisa Esports PUBG Winter Challenge, beginning on 27/09/2021, with a winner being crowned on 06/11/2021.

-Ends-

For more information, please contact: challengermode@fiveinaboat.com

About Challengermode:

Challengermode is a Swedish technology company founded in 2014, with the mission to make esports truly accessible for gamers. Challengermode is building a platform that provides the fundamental online esports infrastructure for all relevant stakeholders within the ecosystem. With 2.5billion people world-wide playing computer games and hundreds of millions of people watching professional esports tournaments monthly, Challengermode’s platform – which hosts millions of competitions yearly – is the place for regular gamers to congregate, practice or compete in esports. Its best-in-class tech automates complex tournament infrastructure through game integrations and allows gamers to easily play in competitions, tournaments and leagues across any device or console, while enabling community building and monetization at scale for organizers of all kinds.

19 July 2021 0 comment

Esports Business Mobile Esports PUBG

PUBG Mobile continues to combat in-game hackers and plug-ins with revamped anti-cheat measures.

written by John

LOS ANGELES– The team behind the world’s most popular mobile game, PUBG MOBILE, is continuing to identify and eradicate cheating measures, new hacks and nefarious plug-ins. Recently eradicated exploits include a hack that disconnects opponents from matches, along with auto-aim and x-ray vision plug-ins.

Below is an official statement from the PUBG MOBILE team regarding recent unfair plug-ins:

Last week, the PUBG MOBILE team took strong action against iOS jailbreak plug-in hacks! Cheaters used X-Ray vision, auto-aim, and many other cheating methods to severely disrupt the game environment and gaming experience. The PUBG MOBILE team monitors these hacks closely and takes measures to target them immediately once they are detected. These hacks seriously damage the fairness of the game. We will punish players who use them with a 10-year ban and take legal action against their developers to hold them accountable!

The PUBG MOBILE team will do its utmost to preserve the gaming experience for all players, and as such, we have zero tolerance for hacks and other exploitations from unfairness. We hope everyone will follow the rules and maintain a fair gaming environment.

The PUBG MOBILE anti-cheat team also recently addressed manipulative hacks that caused opposing players to be eliminated from the game once they finished parachuting:

The PUBG MOBILE team has recently blocked an updated hack again. This hack is able to disconnect players during matches and causes other players to be defeated right after they parachute. The hack is constantly updated and severely affects the gaming environment. The PUBG MOBILE team will continue to closely monitor such hacks over the long term. We will punish players who use them with a 10-year ban, and we will take legal action against their developers to hold them accountable!

These tactics are the latest in ongoing efforts to combat unfair gameplay behaviors. The PUBG MOBILE team plans to continually combat hacks and other measures to further enforce a safe and welcoming gaming environment for community members.

ABOUT PUBG MOBILE

PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.

26 October 2020 0 comment

Mobile Esports PUBG

PUBG Mobile embraces creative flair with global outfits designs contest 2020

written by john

Los Angeles– PUBG MOBILE players can drop in and design away as an all-new in-game community-driven challenge begins from Aug 27. Fans can create and submit their own avatar design concepts for a chance to win real-world and in-game prizes. Specially-selected contest participants will also have their winning designs added into PUBG MOBILE for mobile gamers around the world to use. With the submission period underway, potential applicants can find out more information through the official portal here.

Since the PUBG MOBILE launch in 2018, players and community members have had the opportunity to express their individual style and flair through character, gear, vehicle and other miscellaneous skins in countless combinations. From now through Tuesday, Sept. 15, PUBG MOBILE fans and aspiring artists alike can submit their own avatar designs for consideration through community portals. All submissions that abide by the designated competition rules will be judged by professional judges, including PUBG MOBILE’s art directors and other internal teams, ranking creations across the criteria of design quality, game integration, community feedback and player voting.

The timeline for the PUBG MOBILE Global Outfits Design Contest 2020 is as follows:

Submissions (Through Tuesday, Sept. 15) – Players can submit their unique designs through the official portal or in designated communities
Preliminaries (Wednesday, Sept. 16 through Sunday, Sept. 27) – The official art team and professional judges with evaluate all outfits and choose which ones move forward
Voting (Monday, Sept. 28 through Monday, Oct. 5) – All players and community members will have the opportunity to cast their vote for their favorite submissions
Reward Announcement (Tuesday, Oct. 13) – The outfits that have been selected will be announced.

The grand prize for the PUBG MOBILE Global Outfits Design Contest 2020 includes $5,000 USD and a PUBG MOBILE official Art Pack book, in addition to the designated artwork being added as a 3D playable model in-game. Similarly, three “Judges’ Choice” awards will also receive game inclusion and the Art Pack books, along with $2,000 USD. The Second through Fifth place Players’ Choice awards will receive booklets and $500 USD, and Sixth through Tenth place will receive books and $200 USD.

The official template for the PUBG MOBILE Global Outfits Design Contest 2020 can be accessed and downloaded here. Stay tuned for future updates about the competition, including winning designs and more.

PUBG MOBILE is available to download for free on the App Store and Google Play.

ABOUT PUBG MOBILE

PUBG MOBILE is based on PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the phenomenon that took the world of interactive entertainment by storm in 2017. Up to 100 players parachute onto a remote island to battle in a winner-takes-all showdown. Players must locate and scavenge their own weapons, vehicles and supplies, and defeat every player in a visually and tactically rich battleground that forces players into a shrinking play zone.

For more information, please visit the official PUBG MOBILE accounts on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube

11 September 2020 0 comment