Football club FC Seoul has decided not to proceed with a joint collaboration event planned with Krafton's PUBG brand space, 'PUBG Seongsu,' at its Seongsu-dong pop-up store. Even after Krafton released its investigation findings, player sanctions, and an apology to the victim regarding the 'PUBG Asia Stars 2026' controversy, external partners continue to pull out of joint projects.
On September 26, FC Seoul announced on its official social media regarding the Seongsu-dong pop-up store running from September 29 to October 4, stating, "The club has taken the various concerns and opinions shared by fans online recently very seriously and has carefully reviewed them." The club added, "Taking overall circumstances into consideration, the pop-up store will operate normally at its previously scheduled location, but we have decided not to proceed with the joint and collaboration events originally planned with PUBG Seongsu."
The pop-up store is organized under the title 'ROAD TO 7 STARS.' FC Seoul explained, "Ahead of a precious opportunity to win the championship for the first time in 10 years, this event was prepared to look back at the six title-winning histories created together with our fans and to unite everyone's hope for a seventh star." With the collaboration removed, the pop-up will operate with content focusing on the club's history and championship journey.
FC Seoul did not state the specific reasons for canceling the collaboration in its notice. However, concerns had recently emerged among fans regarding the stream-sniping controversy involving Vietnamese PUBG players and FC Seoul's pop-up schedule.
Previous partners that paused collaborations had characterized their actions as a "suspension." On September 20, Kkanbu Chicken temporarily suspended PUBG-related promotions and events, while clothing brand NOGEAR also temporarily suspended its sponsorship. Both entities stated they would determine their direction after reviewing the organizer's final investigation results and follow-up measures.
Krafton released its investigation results on September 23. Confirming that Himass and TanVuu utilized other participants' live streams and external information for decision-making and tactics, Krafton issued permanent account bans and permanent bans from participating in official tournaments for both players. On the same day, Krafton apologized to the victim, Korean streamer Soopi, and announced that it would review overall event operations and decision-making processes to take follow-up measures in accordance with internal regulations.
FC Seoul's decision came after this announcement, and the club explicitly used the phrasing "decided not to proceed" rather than a suspension. This indicates that partner departures have not stopped even after Krafton released its investigation findings and disciplinary actions.
