PUBG player Himass has spoken out for the first time following the controversy surrounding the 2026 PUBG Asia friendly tournament. Photo: PUBG
Himass broke his silence on Friday evening with a lengthy social media post reflecting on his journey with PUBG and thanking the fans, teammates, friends, and others who had supported him throughout his career.
He and fellow Vietnamese player Tran Tan Vu, known as TanVuu, were handed lifetime bans following a rule violation at the 2026 PUBG Asia friendly tournament.
The punishment has sparked widespread controversy, with many fans arguing that permanently barring the two players from official PUBG competitions was too severe.
The backlash has extended beyond Vietnam, with gaming communities in China and Thailand also criticizing Krafton’s decision.
In his farewell post, Himass said PUBG had transformed his life, giving him opportunities to compete internationally, earn a living as a professional gamer, travel, make friends, and represent Vietnam.
“PUBG gave me so much,” he wrote.
“It gave me money, fame, opportunities to compete, to stand on stage, and to travel to so many places that I had never imagined a gamer like me could reach.”
He said one of the highlights of his career was wearing the Vietnamese national team jersey and competing alongside some of the country’s top players.
“Looking back at the past five or six years, I think I have been quite fortunate,” he wrote.
“I got to do what I loved. I competed at major tournaments and had the honor of representing my country.”
Himass also expressed concern that the controversy had affected not only himself and TanVuu but also others who had invested years pursuing careers in PUBG.
“You may not know who they are or may never have watched them compete, but they, too, have sacrificed a great deal to pursue PUBG,” Himass wrote.
He ultimately announced that he was leaving the game.
“PUBG is no longer just a game to me. It represents nearly six years of my youth.”
“From today, I am choosing to stop here. Thank you to everyone who has stood by me over all these years. Thank you for walking this nearly six-year journey with me. I hope to see you all again somewhere else.”
The post, accompanied by a video, drew around 1,000 shares on Facebook and quickly spread across gaming communities overseas.
On Chinese esports forum Hupu, users shared news of Himass’ departure, with some describing it as a major loss for PUBG.
“This is like Son Heung-min saying goodbye to football,” one user commented.
KRAFTON has announced lifetime bans on TanVuu (L) and Himass. Photo: PUBG
From PUBG champion to national team star
Born in 2003, Himass currently plays for Anyone’s Legend and is regarded as one of Vietnam’s leading PUBG players.
Known for his aggressive combat skills, he helped CERBERUS Esports win PUBG Global Series 3 in 2024 and was recognized by PUBG Esports as the tournament’s top player.
A year later, he was named MVP of the PUBG Nations Cup 2025 as Vietnam captured the title for the first time.
Ahead of PNC 2026, PUBG Esports described Himass as an icon of Vietnamese PUBG.
TanVuu, born in 2005, currently plays for GAM x The Expendables.
He won the PUBG Global Championship 2024 with The Expendables and was part of the Vietnamese team that claimed the PNC 2025 title with a record 216 points.
According to statistics highlighted by PUBG Esports ahead of the 2026 season, TanVuu led the 2025 tournament in total kills and ranked second in total survival time.
Why were Himass and TanVuu banned?
The controversy began on September 17 during PUBG Asia Stars 2026, an online exhibition tournament organized by South Korea’s Krafton, when South Korean female gamer Soopi accused Himass and TanVuu of “stream sniping” — watching her livestream to obtain in-game information such as her position and movements.
Krafton later confirmed that the two Vietnamese players had received information from outside the game and removed them from the remainder of the tournament. Their PUBG Vietnam Partner status was also revoked.
The controversy soon escalated beyond the two players. South Korean participants withdrew from the tournament, the final day of competition was canceled, and the overall standings were not officially recognized.
Krafton subsequently acknowledged shortcomings in its handling of the event, including inadequate preventive measures, assessment criteria, and penalties governing the use of outside information. On September 20, the publisher also admitted that it had rushed to release information before it had been fully verified and later apologized for organizational failures.
Despite those admissions, Krafton maintained that Himass and TanVuu’s actions constituted “stream sniping” and continued disciplinary proceedings against them, ultimately imposing lifetime bans from official PUBG competitions.
The severity of the punishment, coupled with Krafton’s acknowledgment of shortcomings in the tournament’s rules and organization, fueled backlash among PUBG communities in Vietnam and elsewhere in Asia.
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