Himass & TanVuu Permanent Ban Explained: The PUBG Asia Stars 2026 Case

Short answer: On 23 September 2026, KRAFTON imposed permanent sanctions on Himass (Lã Phương Tiến Đạt) and TanVuu (Trần Tấn Vũ):

• Their PUBG game accounts are banned permanently.
• They are permanently ineligible for every official esports event, including PGC, PGS and PNC.

KRAFTON concluded that the two players watched other participants’ livestreams during PUBG Asia Stars 2026 and used that out-of-game information in their decisions. In the same notice, KRAFTON admitted operational failures of its own. Both players keep a right to respond, and no new decision had been published as of 24 September.

This article is the starting point. Each milestone below links to the detailed timeline and the original documents.

What is PUBG Asia Stars 2026?

According to the 11 September event notice:

• Format: a three-day event (17, 19 and 20 September 2026).
• Teams: six regions (China, Japan, Korea, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam), with eight players each — a mix of professionals, PUBG Partners and streamers.
• Modes: nine in total — eight Playgrounds (UGC) modes such as racing, crossbow shooting, glider battles and melee, plus one eight-player Platoon Battle Royale.
• Prize pool: USD 70,000, with USD 25,000 for first place.

Two details matter for everything that follows:

• The rulebook itself calls the event “an official PUBG esports tournament hosted by KRAFTON” (Section 1).
• KRAFTON later admitted the event was built around live interaction between streamers and viewers, so a broadcast delay was not mandatory.

Day-by-day timeline

19 September: removal, not yet a sanction

The first notice only removed the two players from the remaining matches. KRAFTON called it a measure it could “apply immediately” and said it “does not mean the matter is closed”.

In the same notice, KRAFTON accepted responsibility for “not sufficiently specifying operating standards to ensure fairness”.

20 September: separating confirmed facts from open questions

The 20 September notice is the most detailed document before the final findings. It splits the case into three parts:

• Confirmed: during Day 1, both players checked out-of-game information through their own stream content.
• Still under review:
  • whether they directly watched other participants’ streams;
  • whether the information was used in play;
  • whether any other information was passed to them.
• Measures already taken:
  • removal from the event, with substitutes brought in;
  • some score adjustments;
  • a broadcast delay for later matches;
  • tighter monitoring;
  • revocation of their PUBG Vietnam Partner status.

The same notice cancelled Day 3 because the event could no longer continue “under the same trust and conditions for all participants”. Prize money would be paid to every region on the same basis rather than by final ranking, and the Drops event was dropped.

23 September: findings and sanctions

According to the findings notice, KRAFTON reviewed four kinds of material:

• official broadcasts;
• participant footage;
• in-game data;
• replays.

It concluded that both players “obtained information that could not be known through normal play… and used it for judgments and tactics.”

Grounds for the sanction:

• Section 5.10 of the PUBG operating policy: interfering with gameplay; harassment.
• Section 5.12: abuse.
• A breach of the conduct duties of professional PUBG Esports players.

Sanctions, effective immediately:

• Permanent game-account bans.
• Permanent ineligibility for all official events in every region.

Each party’s position

KRAFTON says:

• It never officially allowed watching other participants’ streams or using outside information, “regardless of prize size or event type”.
• It applied no region-specific standards.
• Professionals are held to a higher standard than ordinary participants.

At the same time, KRAFTON accepts operational failures:

• no mandatory delay;
• vague rule definitions;
• slow and inconsistent communication.

It says it is internally reviewing its own decision-making.

The players and their team:

• Per Inven’s 19 September report, the players said in their apologies that they kept their own stream chats open, received information from viewers and understood the rules not to prohibit that.
• Some participants said pre-event guidance permitted outside information. KRAFTON acknowledged the claim and rejected it.
• Per VTC News, GAM × TE opposed the sanction. It asked for:
  • a response process with clear criteria and deadlines;
  • a proportionality review;
  • support to remedy harm.

Scamany has not seen the players’ original apologies. The descriptions above are press accounts.

The three big questions

1. Were the rules clear enough? Section 3.7 only recommends a delay for personal streams. It does not separately define watching an opponent’s stream, and KRAFTON itself admitted this. See our rulebook explainer.
2. Is the penalty proportionate? The rulebook lists sanctions ranging from warnings, fines and prize forfeiture to bans, yet KRAFTON chose the maximum. See is a permanent ban proportionate?.
3. Is the standard consistent? Images show streamer Soopi opening the tournament stream during play, and the Gyumin PWS 2024 case has resurfaced. KRAFTON says it reviewed “similar allegations involving others under the same standard” but published no detail. See the Gyumin question.

Confirmed versus unverified

Where things stand (24 September 2026)

The sanctions took effect immediately. The right to respond does not suspend them, and no source has recorded a new decision on the review request.

If the ban stands, Vietnam loses two members of its PNC 2025 title-winning roster. The wider effects on KRAFTON, the market and the community are analysed on the Impact page.

Scamany will update this article when new documents appear. If you hold a primary document, please send it to us.