ESL is expanding its reach in the Oceanic region with the addition of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) to their AU&NZ National Championship league for 2019.
ESL has a number of regional leagues throughout the world, but has seen recent success in the Asia-Pacific region and continues to expand. The league will act as a qualifier for global events in the 2019 PUBG Esports Season as well as award local talent for a prize pool of $15,000 AUD (£8,200).
OCE PUBG Players! We are partnering with @ESLAustralia for the 2019 PUBG Season.
Learn more about Phase 1 here: https://t.co/hn8nIz8l8O
More soon regarding the rest of 2019! pic.twitter.com/yP6nlDHtvX
— PUBG Esports (@PUBGEsports) February 25, 2019
The announcement comes at a blistering pace as PUBG gears up for their 2019 season. With a few of their major regional leagues still having issues getting off the ground, this Oceanic tournament is set to begin open qualifiers within the same week of its announcement. A few players have already decried this rushed announcement, with Community Manager Henry “Hawkinz” Guild stating that discussions are already taking place in postponing the start date by a week.
It’s clear however, that they are attempting to get the league started quickly, as the countdown begins on FACEIT Global Summit: PUBG Classic, the first global event of the season taking place at eXceL London from April 16th-21st. With only less than 7 weeks to go before the event itself takes place, PUBG Corp is trying to piece together qualifiers for their first big event of the year.
Esports Insider says: While it’s good that the Oceanic region continues to grow, adding a third game to ESL’s circuit, it’s important that the league gets off to a good start. Having only a few days to sign up and gather a team for open qualifiers seems a tad rushed, but we hope we’ll see the best of the players in the region. There’s no doubt that coordinating a huge global effort for all regions to be represented for their first event is a daunting task, and we’re hoping that PUBG Corp and ESL manage to nail it across the board.