Calm heads prevail in battle as Vietnam wins PUBG MOBILE gold

It was the perfect end to a dream competition, as PUBG MOBILE brought down the curtain on #GEG22, and Vietnam emerged from the battle royale with the spoils

The PUBG MOBILE medalists at #GEG22. Photo: Ben Queenborough/GEF

The Istanbul 2022 Global Esports Games has been a weekend bursting with tension and thrills – and so it was fitting that PUBG MOBILE was the game to bring down the curtain on this adrenaline-packed event.

But in a game described as “stressful, scary and unpredictable”, Vietnam somehow kept its head where others could not to win gold at the second edition of the Global Esports Federation’s flagship event.

The arena of the Hilton Istanbul Bomonti Hotel and Conference Center was rocking on Saturday night as battle royale broke out over six rounds on the island.

Showing brilliant attacking verve and tactical awareness, Vietnam won ahead of Saudi Arabia, who got silver, and Chinese Taipei, who took the bronze.

“The last match was very difficult,” gold medalist DXFrankyyy007 said. “We had some strategy for the cycle, but we battled hard to get the top ranking.

“Teamwork is all-important in this game, but we all trust each other. Some of the team was getting really over-excited, but somehow we stayed calm and focused on the game.”

NvrAlone, a runner-up with Saudi Arabia, said: “The last game we played really quiet until the end and we got a lot of kills.

“It's only six games so you have to perform the best you can.”

The key to their medal? “Staying calm during the fighting and making good communication between the team, and see what plays out at the end. It is difficult to stay calm.”

Chinese Taipei emerged clutching the bronze. “It’s our first time participating in an international event, and we got bronze. It’s exciting,” team member ONEHong said.

“We are loud and we shout at each other during the game. We need that emotion. We are going to keep sticking together as a team. We want better results. In a year, we will beat these people.”

That is the kind of battle royale talk we like to hear. See you in Riyadh in 2023.