NA PUBG League kicks off, what you need to know

The North American National PUBG League (NPL) is upon us and here is a quick catching-up on the most important details.

PUBG Corp. continue to be determined in the development of their flagship product, Playerunknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), as an esports title. In July 2017, PUBG Corp. revealed a five-year plan focused on developing esports, with a special emphasis on grassroots competitions.

Unlike most franchised models of the day, PUBG wants to retain its community-driven focus. Not so long after the five-year plan was revealed, South Korean broadcaster OGN announced that it would team up with PUBG Corp. to introduce the inaugural season for the North American National PUBG League, or NPL for short.

The NPL is just one of the nine regions that currently featured in the inaugural region-based season for the 2019 Global PUBG Championship, the crowning event of the year. Others include Europe (PEL), Korea (PKL), China, Japan (PJS), Chinese Taipei (Taiwan)/Hong Kong/Macao, Southeast Asia, Latin America, and Oceania.

Image credit: PUBG Corp.

The North American leg kicks off on February 1 with 4 matches planned for the opening day. This is part of Phase I of the entire championship. The Global Championship itself is subdivided into the following categories:

• PHASE I
• Global Event I
• PHASE II
• Global Event II
• All-Stars Games
• Phase III
• Global Championship

Each PHASE consists of the following breakdowns:

• Week 1
• Week 2
• Week 3
• NPL Royale
• Week 4
• Week 5
• NPLC Relegation
• NPL Relegation

With competition as heavily packed as this, we’ll have plenty of PUBG to watch in the months to come. This year, PUBG Corp. are allocating $2 million to the entire series, allowing teams of all skill levels to have a fair shot at the big prize pool.