Iconic Swedish esports organisation, Ninjas in Pyjamas has announced the release of its PUBG Roster. The decision comes after their repeated failure to qualify for several high tier tournaments. The NIP Brand is well known across various esports titles. They have a fan favourite CS: GO roster. They recently picked up a Dota 2 team featuring Peter ‘PPD’ Dager.

In October of 2017, Ninjas in Pyjamas took a leap of faith venturing into the thus far uncharted territory of competitive Battle Royale. A PlayerUnknown’s: Battlegrounds squad was signed and as with all of our teams, we aimed at establishing ourselves as a top contender in the competitive scene.

However, after failing to qualify for a slew of high tier tournaments, the decision has been made to say goodbye to our PUBG team as we set off to search for an entirely new line-up.

We’d like to extend our sincere gratitude and appreciation to our former PUBG squad members Drew “Sweaterr” Miser, Oliver “Ollywood” Tell and Karl Johan “Ekkz” Kallevik. We wish you the very best of luck in your continued esports career. It’s been a real pleasure to have you and you will all be missed.

https://thepicks.com/esports/news/2018/09/15/ninjas-in-pyjamas-return-to-dota-2-with-ppds-lineup/

NiP releases its entire #PUBG team.https://t.co/k2Tq1apqN9 pic.twitter.com/Ico8O7noqg

— Ninjas in Pyjamas (@NIP) September 12, 2018

However, NIP will not be exiting PUBG esports. They are on the lookout for an entirely new roster which can represent the team in high tier tournaments in PUBG esports. This was NIP’s first foray into battle Royale esports. The Battle Royale genre is picking up the pace with tremendous growth both in PC as well as on Mobile. PUBG recently crossed 20 million daily Active players.

It’s still early days in the PUBG scene and while we’ve had some great fun with the team, it wasn’t a perfect fit for us in the end. We’re exploring our options right now so rest assured we’ll be back with a squad that is in line with both NiP’s and our fans expectations. Thank you for your service, guys! I hope our paths cross again.

Hicham Chahine, CEO of Ninjas in Pyjamas

New rules for PUBG Esports

Professional PUBG players would be subject to two new rules for the upcoming season. The rules which would be effective from 2019 have drawn their fair share of criticism and angst from the community.

From 2019, these global rules will apply to all pro-level PUBG esports competitions:

1) Any player who is under 18 years of age will not be eligible to play.
2) Each team must include in its roster at least 3 legal citizens or permanent residents from its region.

— PUBG Esports (@PUBGEsports) September 14, 2018

Disallowing players who are not 18 years of age from participating in their games is a big step back for PUBG esports. Some of the greatest talents in other esports titles come from players who are not yet 18. Teams can then scout these players and keep an eye on their progress. We have seen multiple occasions of players winning huge prize pools despite not being 18 years old. Sumail became a millionaire when he was just 16 years old. [ He won The International 2015].

The second rule is equally important as it becomes imperative for players to be residents of the country if they want to play professionally. This is not the case in other esports such as Overwatch. Players secure work visas in order to play in different teams [ in different countries]. The US government also facilitates professional players playing in America [ despite not being a permanent resident] via the issuance of P1A visas.

These rules are definitely controversial and we will keep you updated on their effect for the professional PUBG esports scene.