Quick answers to the most-searched questions about the Himass & TanVuu case at PUBG Asia Stars 2026. Every answer rests on a sourced document in the source archive. For the full story, start with the case overview.
The sanction
1. How long are Himass and TanVuu banned?
Permanently. The sanction has two parts:
- a permanent ban on their PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS accounts;
- permanent ineligibility for every official esports event in every region.
Both took effect when the 23 September 2026 notice was published.
2. Why were they banned?
KRAFTON concluded both players “obtained information that could not be known through normal play, via other participants’ livestreams or outside information” and used it tactically. KRAFTON calls this stream sniping.
3. What rules were cited?
- Section 5.10 of the PUBG operating policy: interfering with gameplay; harassment.
- Section 5.12: abuse.
- The conduct duties of professional players.
Notably, the grounds come from the game’s operating policy, not from a clause in the tournament rulebook.
4. Does the ban cover PNC?
Yes. The notice explicitly names PGC, PGS and PNC, plus “all official esports events organized or approved by KRAFTON”.
5. Can they still stream PUBG?
Their game accounts are banned permanently, so they cannot play PUBG on those accounts. Their PUBG Vietnam Partner status was also revoked on 20 September.
6. Can they appeal?
Yes. KRAFTON wrote that both players “have the right to go through the explanation process” under esports procedures. No outcome had been published as of 24 September. See the appeal process.
What happened
7. How did it start?
After Day 1 (17 September), streamer Soopi complained that the Vietnamese team had destroyed a revive chip, meaning they took and destroyed a downed player’s chip so a teammate could not revive them. She also suspected they had watched streams for information. This was an initial complaint, not an investigation finding.
8. Who is Soopi in this case?
Soopi is a Korean streamer, and per Soha a content creator for Gen.G Esports. She played for Korea’s team and first raised the suspicion. Per Soha, she denies stream sniping herself, saying she uses a single monitor. She also asked for her own PUBG Partner status to be revoked because the publisher did not protect her from attacks. See Soopi’s profile. Two stills from Soopi-related livestream footage show her opening and watching the tournament stream on SOOP. However:
- The stills do not show whether the information was used tactically.
- The 23 September findings say similar allegations against others were reviewed and did not warrant sanctions, but they do not name her.
9. Was Day 3 played?
No. On 20 September KRAFTON cancelled Day 3, saying the event could not continue “under the same trust and conditions for all participants”.
10. Did Korea’s team walk out?
Korea’s team did not play Day 2. KRAFTON later admitted describing the Korean side’s planned boycott as a “withdrawal” and communicating inconsistently.
11. How was the prize money handled?
The original pool was USD 70,000, paid by ranking: USD 25,000 for first place down to USD 4,000 for sixth. After Day 3 was cancelled, KRAFTON said prize money would go “to all participating regions on the same basis”. See our finance analysis.
Rules and interpretation
12. Did the rulebook ban watching opponents’ streams?
No clause names that conduct.
- Section 3.7 only recommends a delay for personal streams.
- Section 1 gives organizers authority over matters not covered.
- Section 4.1 gives Discord notices the same force as the rulebook.
KRAFTON admitted the rulebook “did not specifically define” conduct such as watching others’ streams. See the rulebook explained.
13. Is reading your own stream chat stream sniping?
These are two different behaviours:
- reading information viewers post in your own chat;
- actively opening an opponent’s stream to follow the match.
Both can bring outside information into a match. The 23 September finding says the players watched other participants’ livestreams. See what is stream sniping.
14. Does a showmatch need fair play?
Yes. KRAFTON says its standard applies “regardless of prize size or event type”, and the rulebook itself calls Asia Stars an official tournament.
15. Was anyone else sanctioned?
The 23 September notice says allegations against other participants were checked “against the same strict standard”, and no violation serious enough for further sanctions was found. The list of people reviewed was not published.
The controversies
16. Was the sanction really 1 year, then 6 months, at first?
This is an unverified account that appeared on the campaign site justiceforpubgvn.com. No official document records those lengths. See our scenario analysis.
17. What does the 2024 Gyumin case have to do with this?
In 2024, a post on X claimed Gyumin had a map stream with a 10-minute delay open during PWS. No finding on that case has been published. It is cited to question consistency, not as proof of a precedent. See the Gyumin question.
18. Did KRAFTON admit fault?
Yes, operationally: no mandatory delay, vague definitions, slow and inconsistent communication. It is also reviewing its own processes and says it will act on the staff involved under company rules. It kept the player sanctions unchanged, however.
19. How did the team react?
Per VTC News, GAM × TE (TanVuu’s organisation) opposed the sanction. It asked for a response process with clear criteria and deadlines, a proportionality review and help remedying harm.
20. Where can I follow updates?
On the Scamany case timeline. It is updated as new notices appear, with archived copies and SHA-256 hashes of the originals.