How an E-Sports Cheating Scandal Ruined PUBG in Vietnam Forever - The PUBG Asia Stars 2026 Disaster

Summary

The video examines how PUBG’s 2026 Asia Stars tournament became a major esports and public-relations crisis between South Korea and Vietnam. Its central argument is that unclear rules and Krafton’s hesitant, inconsistent response allowed a suspected cheating incident to escalate into harassment, national backlash, and a boycott.

Context: PUBG’s investment in Vietnam

PUBG grew from a hugely successful PC battle royale into a major mobile and esports business, particularly across Asia. Vietnam had become a crucial market for PUBG esports: Vietnamese viewers accounted for 58.1% of peak viewership for the 2025 championship.

The Asia Stars tournament was a three-day, $70,000 PC event inspired by the Asian Games. It featured teams from Vietnam, South Korea, China, Japan, Chinese Taipei, and Thailand. The format mixed professional players with streamers and content creators. Vietnam fielded active PUBG professionals, including Highass and Tanvu, while South Korea’s team had no currently active PUBG professionals because its players were competing elsewhere.

The incident and unclear rules

The tournament was played remotely, and its rules only encouraged stream delays rather than requiring them. During a Vietnamese team voice call, a person believed to be a local organizer reportedly told players that stream sniping was allowed.

In a first-day match between Vietnam and South Korea, Vietnamese players Highass and Tanvu checked information outside the game while pursuing Korean player Supi. Korean viewers circulated clips that appeared to show the players using information from streams to find her. Supi complained to Krafton, whose initial response said there was no confirmation of stream sniping and that it would not issue a sanction.

South Korean players threatened to boycott the rest of the event. Online discussion grew increasingly hostile: some Vietnamese users defended their players, while others circulated unsubstantiated accusations that Supi had used hacks or stream-sniped herself.

A post from the official PUBG Vietnam account joking about Supi’s reaction further inflamed the dispute. Highass’s stream also featured a pinned post accusing Supi of cheating. Supi described the accusation as fabricated and part of a wave of harassment.

Krafton’s changing response

On September 19, Krafton apologized for operational failures and announced measures that included changes to player participation, broadcast delays, and stronger monitoring. Its initial statement did not clearly identify the Vietnamese players or explicitly acknowledge stream sniping.

After criticism continued, Krafton named Highass and Tanvu and acknowledged that they had checked external information. It later apologized for its initial response and said it was investigating whether they had directly watched other players’ broadcasts.

Supi and Korean player OA publicly criticized Krafton’s handling of the incident. Supi said she felt unsupported and announced that she was returning her PUBG partner status.

Krafton eventually cancelled the tournament’s third day. Highass and Tanvu issued a public apology to Supi, Team Korea, and the community, while maintaining that they believed the rules did not prohibit their conduct.

Highass’s manager, Tren Duong, raised concerns about the unclear rules and whether the eventual punishment would be proportionate. The video also describes an older PUBG Asia Stars VOD in which Highass allegedly discussed stream sniping, further hardening Korean criticism.

A senior PUBG Publishing executive, Sujin Yun, apologized and accepted responsibility for unclear rules, poor communication, and failing to protect participants from the resulting harm.

Investigation and sanctions

Krafton’s final investigation concluded that Highass and Tanvu had used external game information and stream-sniped. The company said it had never officially permitted players to watch competitors’ broadcasts during matches.

The two players received permanent bans from their PUBG accounts and from Krafton-organized or sanctioned esports tournaments. They were told they could appeal.

Krafton also apologized directly to Supi and said it would help address false claims, harassment, and other damage directed at her.

The video notes a distinction at the heart of the controversy: some Vietnamese community tournaments reportedly treat stream sniping as part of casual entertainment, but this cannot substitute for clear rules in a major prize-money competition.

Fallout and key takeaways

The controversy became a national issue, appearing on South Korean news and Vietnamese television. Online discussion turned into nationalist hostility and harassment rather than remaining a dispute about tournament rules.

Vietnamese fans and streamers boycotted PUBG. One major Vietnamese cybercafé franchise said it would remove the game from 2,000 PCs, and other cafes and university esports groups reportedly followed. A campaign website, Justice for PUBG Vietnam, claimed millions of supporters.

PUBG Vietnam Series 2026 Phase 2 was postponed indefinitely. Highass and Tanvu lost their PUBG careers, and their team, the Expendables, disbanded its PUBG roster. Tanvu said he would focus on streaming, while Highass said he was open to competing in another game.

Sponsors and partners, including FC Seoul and No Gear, reportedly ended or cancelled related partnerships. South Korea’s Game Users Association also called for participant compensation and better tournament operations.

The video’s main lesson is that organizers must set explicit rules before competition, apply them consistently, investigate transparently, communicate promptly, and protect participants from harassment. Krafton’s attempts to avoid angering either country instead alienated both and damaged its esports strategy in a market it considered important.

Gamers and sources featured

Players and esports figures

• Supi — South Korean player and the target of the stream-sniping incident and subsequent harassment.
• Highass (also rendered as Himass in the subtitles) and Tanvu (also rendered as Tanvuu) — Vietnamese players sanctioned by Krafton.
• Rambo — Vietnamese content creator whose stream captured discussion of stream sniping.
• OA — South Korean player who criticized Krafton’s management of the incident.
• Tren Duong — Highass’s manager.
• Sujin Yun — PUBG Publishing general manager who issued a public apology.

Sources, platforms, and organizations

• Krafton and PUBG’s official statements, tournament rules, and PUBG esports website
• The official PUBG Vietnam Instagram account
• FM Korea, Reddit, Facebook, and YouTube posts and videos
• South Korean national news and Vietnamese television, including VTV Cab
• The Korea Game Users Association
• Justice for PUBG Vietnam
• Windy Gaming, FC Seoul, No Gear, the Expendables, FPT University, the National University of Vietnam, and Greenwich Vietnam