Papua PON Exhibition Final Features 16 PUBG Mobile Esports Teams

JAKARTA, NusaBali.com - Some 16 PUBG Mobile esports teams will compete offline in the grand final of the XX National Sports Week (PON) in Jakarta, with strict health protocols in place on Sept 23-24 following the qualifying round.

According to the PUBG Mobile official statement on Thursday, the qualifying and pre-PON round had been held on Sept 14, and 4,916 teams comprising 19,664 athletes from 33 provinces across Indonesia had reportedly participated in the event.

The 16 teams that managed to move to the grand final are from Jakarta, Bali, Maluku, Bengkulu, Riau, Jambi, West Kalimantan, North Kalimantan, North Sulawesi, South Kalimantan, Central Java, Banten, North Maluku, Bangka Belitung, and Papua.

"You can also watch the match and support your province's team live through the PUBG Mobile YouTube Channel," according to PUBG Mobile.

The  PON esports exhibition officially began in Papua on Tuesday. In his report, Head of the XX Papua PON Esports Exhibition Division Frengky Ong admitted to sensing immense pride in the fact that the final round will begin.

Ong noted that this will become a new historic landmark and showcase the capabilities of the best esports players in the nation.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno encouraged all esports athletes to deliver their best performance by showcasing their skills and promoting Indonesia.

"We recorded that revenue for the gaming industry had reached US$1.3 million in 2019 and US$1.8 million in 2020, a 33-percent increase within a year. In addition, the PUBG Mobile match during the pre-PON stage had managed to become a trending topic on social media platforms," Uno stated.

The minister outlined that the number of viewers for the PUBG Mobile match had reached over five million on YouTube and Facebook, with its peak viewers clocked at 41,920, and the total engagement on Facebook reaching over 50 thousand.

"This proves once again the extraordinary potential of the game industry, which is growing faster," he stated.

The XX Papua PON Esports exhibition showcases four games: PUBG Mobile, Free Fire, Mobile Legends, and Pro Evolution Soccer (PES) 2021.

Some 19,664 athletes from 4,916 teams participated in PUBG Mobile, while 13,607 athletes from 3,402 teams participated in Free Fire. Meanwhile, around 11,985 athletes from 2,397 teams competed in Mobile Legends, while 3,838 athletes competed in the PES 2021. *ant