Press release

SONIQS WINS PUBG "ESPORTS WORLD CUP" TOURNAMENT

Soniqs Claims $700,000 in Prize Money


AMSTERDAM, NETHERLANDS - August 27, 2024 - KRAFTON Inc. announced on the 26th that Soniqs, a team from the Americas, has won the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS “Esports World Cup (EWC)” tournament.

The EWC is the world's largest esports event, organised by the Esports World Cup Federation, and took place in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, over eight weeks from July 3 to August 25. PUBG was the final game of the EWC, closing the event with a grand finale. The tournament featured a total prize pool of $2 million, with 24 elite PUBG teams participating, including the top 8 teams from the Global Power Rankings and 16 teams that qualified through regional EWC preliminaries.

16 teams advanced to the finals through the group stage held from August 21 to 23. The finals, held over two days on August 24 and 25, featured a total of 12 matches, with 6 matches played each day. Based on their performance, teams were awarded a share of the total prize money and the PUBG Global Series (PGS) points, necessary to qualify for the prestigious PUBG Global Championship (PGC) 2024, set to take place later this year.

In a fiercely contested final, Soniqs emerged victorious with a total of 113 points and 3 Chicken Dinners, lifting the championship trophy. Soniqs finished the first day in 4th place with 48 points, but a strong showing on the second day, securing at least 6 placement points in 4 out of 6 matches, earned them the top prize of $700,000. This victory continues Soniqs' dominance in tournaments held in Saudi Arabia, following their win at the PUBG Global Series (PGS) 2 last August.

The Chinese team Petrichor Road finished in 2nd place, marking their best performance in an international competition. Thanks to the stellar performance of "Aixleft," who recorded the most kills in the finals with 26, Petrichor Road secured the runner-up prize of $350,000. The EMEA region team, FaZe Clan, finished in 3rd place. Although FaZe Clan led the standings up until match 11, they managed only 5 points in the final match, missing out on their first international victory.

The MVP of the tournament was awarded to "Sparkingg" of TSM, who recorded 24 kills and 4,753 damage in the 12 final matches.

Meanwhile, PUBG Esports will transition to the next major event, the PUBG Nations Cup (PNC) 2024, scheduled to take place at the Peace Hall of Kyung Hee University in Seoul, Korea from September 6 to 8.

For more details on PUBG Esports, including PNC 2024, visit the official PUBG Esports website at https://www.pubgesports.com.

About KRAFTON, Inc.

Headquartered in South Korea, KRAFTON, Inc. is dedicated to discovering and publishing captivating games that offer fun and unique experiences. Established in 2007, KRAFTON is home to globally renowned developers that include PUBG STUDIOS, Striking Distance Studios, Unknown Worlds, VECTOR NORTH, Neon Giant, KRAFTON Montréal Studio, Bluehole Studio, RisingWings, 5minlab, Dreamotion, ReLU Games and Flyway Games. Each studio strives to continuously take on new challenges and leverage innovative technologies. Their goal is to win over more fans by broadening KRAFTON’s platforms and services.

KRAFTON is responsible for premier entertainment properties, including PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, PUBG MOBILE, The Callisto Protocol, NEW STATE MOBILE, Moonbreaker, Defense Derby and TERA. With a passionate and driven team across the globe, KRAFTON is a tech-forward company that possesses world-class capabilities and is set on expanding its business horizons to encompass multimedia entertainment and deep learning. For more information, visit www.krafton.com.