Vietnamese PUBG stars Himass, TanVuu handed lifetime bans as ruling sparks backlash

South Korea-based game publisher KRAFTON announced the sanctions on Wednesday following an investigation into an incident at PUBG Asia Stars 2026.

The banned players are La Phuong Tien Dat, known as Himass, and Tran Tan Vu, or TanVuu, both members of Vietnam’s PUBG Nations Cup-winning team in 2025.

KRAFTON said the two players had used information unavailable through normal gameplay, including other participants’ live streams, to make decisions and adjust their strategies during matches.

The practice is commonly known as 'stream sniping,' or watching an opponent’s live stream to gain additional in-game information.

According to KRAFTON, the conclusion was reached after the publisher reviewed official live streams, participant videos, in-game data, and match replays.

The company said it also examined similar allegations involving other participants but found no additional cases warranting disciplinary action.

KRAFTON maintained that players had never been officially permitted to watch other participants’ live streams or use outside information while competing, adding that the rule applies to all events regardless of prize money or whether they are professional or exhibition tournaments.

As a result, Himass and TanVuu had their PUBG: Battlegrounds accounts permanently banned and were barred for life from all official competitions organized or sanctioned by KRAFTON, including major events such as the PUBG Global Championship, PUBG Global Series, and PUBG Nations Cup.

The two players may still submit explanations or challenge the disciplinary decision through PUBG Esports procedures.

Lifetime punishment draws criticism

While many fans acknowledged that the two Vietnamese players had breached competition rules, the severity of the punishment quickly became a point of contention.

On Hupu, a major Chinese sports and gaming forum, users questioned whether an incident at an exhibition event justified effectively ending the players’ professional careers.

A discussion thread directly questioned the decision: “The violation has been established and punishment is warranted, but is a lifetime ban from the entire official tournament system too severe for an incident at an exhibition event?”

Another discussion argued that sanctions could have been limited to stripping results or banning the players from similar exhibition events rather than excluding them permanently from professional PUBG competition.

A user wrote, “Punishing them for what happened at an exhibition event is understandable, but permanently barring them from all official tournaments worldwide is too harsh.”

Similar debate emerged on international PUBG forums on Reddit, where users raised questions over the way the incident had been handled and whether mitigating circumstances had been fully considered.

One key point of controversy came from KRAFTON’s own statement.

The company acknowledged that some participants said they had been told that using outside information was allowed, although KRAFTON insisted it had never officially authorized such conduct.

That prompted users to question who had provided the alleged guidance and whether that person had any authority within the event.

Thai gaming communities also criticized the lifetime bans.

“One possible response would be to impose a penalty, but why end their careers? It is no different from making one mistake in a football friendly and being banned from playing the sport for life,” a Thai fan wrote.

KRAFTON admits shortcomings

KRAFTON itself acknowledged failures in its handling of the case.

The publisher said it had not provided sufficiently clear guidance or taken appropriate measures when the issue first emerged, while communication of the relevant rules had been delayed and inconsistent.

It apologized to participating teams, players, and others affected, saying it was reviewing its procedures for event operations, investigations, public announcements, and disciplinary decisions.

The controversy began on September 17, when South Korean female gamer Soopi accused Himass and TanVuu of cheating during PUBG Asia Stars 2026.

The two Vietnamese players were subsequently removed from the remainder of the event and lost their 'PUBG Vietnam Partner' status.

On September 20, KRAFTON admitted that it had “rushed to release information that had not been fully verified.”

A day later, the company issued another apology for shortcomings in the way the situation had been handled, while continuing disciplinary proceedings against the pair.

PUBG Asia Stars 2026 was an online exhibition event featuring 48 PUBG Partners and streamers from six Asian regions.

Players competed across multiple game modes over three days for a total prize pool of US$70,000.