Many gaming systems removed PUBG PC, deciding to side with Vietnamese players
(Dan Tri) - After the permanent ban of Himass and TanVuu, many computer labs in Vietnam announced to remove PUBG PC, accepting the impact on revenue to express their views on the incident.
From controversy at a friendly tournament to a permanent ban
In recent days, the Vietnamese e-sports community has continuously debated the incident involving two PUBG players La Phuong Tien Dat, nicknamed Himass, and Tran Tan Vu, nicknamed TanVuu, at PUBG Asia Stars 2026.
PUBG is a survival shooting game in which players must find equipment, fight, and become the last person or team alive. The game appeared in Vietnam on the Steam platform since 2017 and quickly attracted a large number of players.
Meanwhile, PUBG Asia Stars 2026 is an Asian-scale PUBG tournament organized by KRAFTON, gathering 48 players and streamers from many regions. The presence of many famous players and streamers helps the tournament attract great attention from the Asian PUBG community.
The incident started on September 17, when two Vietnamese players were accused of using information from outside the match while participating in an exchange tournament with the participation of many international streamers.
After that, Himass and TanVuu were eliminated from the rest of the tournament and lost their PUBG Vietnam Partner status. The incident quickly created debate in the Vietnamese gaming community, especially around the organization of the tournament, the verification process and the level of treatment for the two players.
PUBG Asia Stars 2026 then had to cancel the last day of competition, not recognize the rankings and redistribute the prize money. KRAFTON also admitted shortcomings in operations and apologized for not ensuring fairness and providing adequate information during the verification process.
Two players Himass and TanVuu were eliminated from PUBG Asia Star 2026, making the Vietnamese e-sports world angry (Photo: PUBG).
On September 23, KRAFTON announced the official investigation results. According to the publisher, the review process based on livestreams, participant videos, in-game data and replays showed that the two Vietnamese players used information from outside the game to make judgments and apply them to tactics.
KRAFTON believes that this behavior violates the regulations of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS and the obligations for professional players.
According to the final decision, the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS accounts of Himass and TanVuu are permanently locked. Both are also permanently banned from participating in official tournaments organized or approved by KRAFTON globally.
After this announcement, the reaction from the PUBG Vietnam community continued to increase. Many streamers and players publicly deleted the game or announced to stop playing to express their views.
Decided to remove the game to express my opinion
By September 24, the reaction was no longer limited to the player community but began to spread to computer room business units and eSports activities organizations.
Many gaming centers posted notices expressing their views on the incident. Some units chose to remove PUBG PC from the system, while others have not made the same decision but publicly expressed support for the two Vietnamese players.
Talking to Dan Tri reporter, Mr. Nguyen Minh Duy, founder of Win.D Gaming system and a PUBG streamer, said that the decision to remove PUBG PC was actually prepared in advance by the computer room. The latest developments have led the unit to take the step of implementing this decision throughout the system.
According to Mr. Duy, before KRAFTON announced the final penalty, the computer department gave the opinion that if the case was not clarified or the handling did not change, they would remove PUBG PC from the system.
After the announcement on September 23, this decision was implemented.
Mr. Nguyen Duy Minh, founder of Win.D Gaming system, said that PUBG PC will continue to be removed from the computer room until KRAFTON takes action to re-handle the incident, clarify the controversy and issue an appropriate apology (Photo: Facebook character).
Notably, Mr. Duy admitted that PUBG is one of the games with a significant number of players in the computer room. Therefore, removing the game can have a direct impact on visitor numbers and revenue.
However, system representatives said that business operations are not the only factor to consider.
According to him, customer experience, brand image and respect from the community are long-term values. Therefore, the engine room accepts the possibility of suffering loss of revenue to implement the announced decision.
There is currently no specific deadline for uninstalling PUBG PC. According to the system representative, the game may be considered for return if the related controversies are reviewed, there are clearer explanations and the consequences from the incident are handled appropriately.
"Behind this story are the careers, passions, jobs and lives of many people, organizations and businesses associated with the game. Anyone can make mistakes. If they are wrong and there is a way to correct and overcome the consequences, that will be welcomed by everyone," Mr. Duy said.
At the same time, many other computer rooms also continuously posted notices expressing their stance.
There is a unit that claims to directly remove PUBG from the computer. Some gaming centers have not yet made this move but have posted articles affirming their side with Himass and TanVuu. In addition, a number of communities, eSports clubs and businesses operating in the gaming field also spoke up about the incident.
The wave of reaction to PUBG spread from gamers, streamers, and fans to computer room systems in Vietnam (Screenshot).
The notable point is that this reaction is not just personal from gamers. The participation of computer labs shows that the controversy has begun to impact business links directly linked to PUBG PC in Vietnam.
For organizations that operate hundreds or thousands of computers, the decision to remove a popular game is not only an expression of opinion but can also have a real impact on demand and revenue.
Although it is impossible to determine how long this wave of reactions will last, the fact that many computer rooms, streamers and the gaming community spoke up in a short time shows that the punishments for Himass and TanVuu are creating a significant impact on PUBG's image in Vietnam.