Krafton has issued permanent bans against 'Himass' and 'TanVuu' for utilizing external information and other participants' broadcasts during 'PUBG Asia Stars 2026'. Krafton also issued a separate apology to streamer Soopi, who suffered harm during the tournament's operation and response process, promising protection and legal support.
Krafton announced on September 23 that following a comprehensive investigation of official broadcasts, participant footage, in-game data, and replays, it confirmed stream sniping and the use of external information by the two players. The company explained that both players obtained information that would be difficult to gather through normal match play and utilized it in their decision-making and tactics.
The 'PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS' game accounts of 'Himass' from Anyone's Legend and 'TanVuu' from The Expendables have been permanently banned. Their eligibility for all official esports tournaments hosted or sanctioned by Krafton—including PGC, PGS, and PNC—has also been permanently suspended. The two players may submit an appeal according to established procedures.
Krafton applied its operating policy clauses regarding the prohibition of game disruption/harassment and abusing to the actions. The company emphasized that it has never officially permitted watching other participants' broadcasts or utilizing external information during matches, regardless of the nature of the event, prize pool size, or participant lineup. It added that in similar allegations raised against other participants, no circumstances requiring additional penalties were identified.
Apart from player penalties, Krafton also acknowledged operational responsibility. The company explained that failing to provide principled guidance and take appropriate measures from the beginning caused confusion and conflict, and that it failed to adequately protect participants from criticism and attack.
On the same day, 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. It also plans to provide support for recovery and continue monitoring for additional harm.
An internal review covering overall event management, announcements, investigations, and decision-making processes is also underway. Krafton plans to institute follow-up measures under internal regulations and establish policies to prevent recurrence based on the review results.
