Director of esports at PUBG Jake “The Jaker” Sin has announced his departure from the organization. This shocking news was shared on his Twitter account, stating that he is looking for more opportunities in esports as well as other areas. He expresses his gratitude of his “small team” and writes, “Of course there are many things I wished were done better, but they would have required committing company-wide resources well beyond my reach.”
I'm leaving PUBG. I'm incredibly proud of what my small team was able to accomplish in just one year of existence. Of course there are many things I wished were done better, but they would have required committing company-wide resources well beyond my reach.
— Jake Sin (@RiotJaker) December 23, 2019
Is mobile more important?
The past few months have been a real struggle for PUBG esports. PUBG Corp has been focusing its efforts on the mobile version of the game, adding fewer efforts to its other participating platforms. Along those lines, PUBG Mobile‘s 2019 revenue recently hit $1.3 billion. The game has grown 540% over the last year according to a Sensor Tower data chart, so it makes sense as to why that’s their main focus.
This was one of the best rosters we've ever fielded. We're incredibly disappointed to have to release them. The team won almost every possible event, and the players did everything right. Really disappointed in PUBG Corp here.
— reynad (@TempoReynad) December 22, 2019
Struggling to catch viewer attention
As PUBG struggled to attract viewers for their competitive games, they started to lose the interest of their top teams. In 2019 alone, PUBG has reportedly awarded over $12 million in prize money. And while Esports Earnings lists PUBG as number 4 in the Top Games of 2019, the game has still lost some of its most popular teams. A few teams that have recently left include Dignitas, Lazarus Esports, Cloud9, Spacestation Gaming, Pittsburgh Knights, and most recently Tempo Storm.
Tempo Storm announced its decision to part ways with its PUBG team on Dec. 22. In their departure letter, they recounted various roster changes, victories, and losses. Tempo Storm CEO Andrew “Reynad” Yanyuck also expressed his disappointment with leaving the PUBG scene. On Twitter, he stated how successful his players were and how he’s “really disappointed in PUBG Corp here.”
https://twitter.com/Tempo_Storm/status/1208809764236517378
Earlier this year, Dignitas also wrote an open letter to PUBG Corp and their fans. They shared that they are looking forward to a “day when Dignitas can reenter the competitive world of PUBG.”
Effective today, Dignitas will be withdrawing from PUBG as an esport.
We are proud to have had Adam, Uncivil, PurdyKurty, aLOW and didz represent us and wish them every success. pic.twitter.com/830blUSQ14
— Dignitas (@dignitas) January 4, 2019
Moving forward
PUBG Corp announced earlier this month that they are planning plenty of major moves in 2020. PUBG Mobile esports will offer a $5 million prize pool next year from regional tournaments to the World League. The question is if moves made will be enough.
We might be seeing the beginning of the game’s esports downfall. Now with Jake’s seat empty, no one is sure of how much this will affect the future of their competitive scene.
What do you think? Are you a big fan of PUBG esports, or are you more interested in their growth as a mobile game? Stay tuned for more news as we’ll keep you updated here at Daily Esports.
Published: Dec 25, 2019 01:18 am