Krafton wants to focus on PUBG: New State’s development before esports

PUBG: New State will be released on Android and iOS devices around the world on Nov. 11.

Its counterpart, PUBG Mobile has a global esports scene with a huge prize pool. So, a lot of players are curious to know whether Krafton has plans for esports with New State.

In response to a question during a recent media showcase, New State’s creative director Daehoon Kim said that there aren’t any immediate plans for esports.

“Instead of focusing on esports, the development team’s top priority is in doing everything possible to provide stable game service,” said Daehoon Kim .

This doesn’t mean that esports isn’t the roadmap for PUBG: New State, though. The creative director added that there has been a lot of interest from regional partners regarding a competitive scene for New State. After the game has been launched and stabilized, Krafton will be bringing in small-scale esports events and move up from there.

Related: Krafton believes PUBG Mobile and PUBG: New State can co-exist

Even though esports isn’t in the immediate plans, Krafton has confirmed that special online competitions will take place in the game. PUBG: New State will feature an eight-level tier system with seasons lasting two months. At the end of each season, the players in the top three tiers will be able to participate in some tournaments for “big rewards.”

It isn’t surprising to see Krafton commit to expanding the game’s playerbase first before conducting esports competitions. With the successes of mobile battle royale esports titles like Free Fire and PUBG Mobile, fans will be waiting for New State’s esports scene as well.