European team Natus Vincere secured the title of PGC 2022 Champions and took home more than $1,000,000 in prize money. Before the final day of competition, KRAFTON CEO CH Kim addressed the audience via video message and also announced plans for PUBG Esports in 2023.

Grand Finals Summary

The PGC 2022 Grand Finals took place from November 17 to 20 at the UAE Dubai Exhibition Center in front of a live audience. Teams played 20 matches spread over four days of Grand Finals, and Natus Vincere emerged victorious with 179 points.

Until the final day, it looked like first place would be out of reach for Natus Vincere, but with three chicken dinners on the last day of the Grand Finals, the team claimed its first PGC championship title, becoming the first team from Europe to do so.

Second place went to 17GAMING from China. They were in the lead after the first two days of the Grand Finals, but were pushed back to second place on the third day. Despite their tough battle for first place on the final day, 17GAMING finished the tournament with a total of 168 points. Twisted Minds from Europe took third place, while eUnited from America finished fourth.

In addition to the first-place prize money of $600,000, Natus Vincere took home another $408,000 from the Pick'em Challenge. Thanks to the revenue generated from the exclusive in-game items in the PGC 2022 Pick'em Challenge, 30 percent of the net revenue went into the overall prize pool, increasing it from $2,000,000 to $3,335,000. MVP was Natus Vincere shooter xmpl, who totaled 32 kills and 15 assists in the Grand Finals alone. He received an additional $10,000 in prize money.

PUBG Esports 2023 Roadmap

Before the final day of the competition, KRAFTON CEO CH Kim addressed the audience via video message and announced plans for PUBG Esports in 2023. The PUBG Global Series (PGS), which was first introduced in 2020, will be held twice in 2023, once in the first half of the year and once in the second half. The PGS was originally planned to bring together the best PUBG Esports teams in the world, but was temporarily switched to the PUBG Continental Series (PCS) format due to the pandemic. Participating teams will be able to earn PGC points in PGS tournaments from now on.

The PUBG Nations Cup (PNC), which returned in June after three years, will return in 2023. This year's PNC set a new attendance record with 1,600,000 spectators, adding to the anticipation for next year.

Next year, a global partnership program will be launched. After a thorough selection and review process, KRAFTON will determine its Global Partner Teams from over 250 teams around the world. Custom in-game items with team branding will be made for these teams and they will receive a spot in the PGS. A portion of the profits from the sale of the items will be shared with the partner teams.

KRAFTON also plans to open its own stadium for PUBG Esports in South Korea in the first half of 2024, so fans and players can enjoy PUBG Esports all year round.

CH Kim, CEO of KRAFTON, said,"KRAFTON will intensify its efforts to make PUBG Esports an iconic and cultural brand as we define our unique PUBG Esports brand identity and pursue various collaborations."