RIYADH: Soniqs Esports claimed PUBG Global Series 2 glory on Sunday night at Gamers8: The Land of Heroes, to earn the coveted tournament trophy and top prize of $600,000.
Eleven days of competition saw 24 of the planet’s best teams battle it out for a share of the $2 million prize pool at Boulevard Riyadh City.
Soniqs — featuring Americans hwinn, M1ME, Shrimzy and Gunner, as well as Australian TGLTN — claimed top spot, pipping Saudi Arabian team Twisted Minds, who earned $260,000 for their exploits, into second place. Question Mark, who took $162,000, finished third.
Hwinn said: “It feels good. It feels deserved. The win came from confidence and trust — trust in the process and trust in the team. The consistency of getting the late game and just keeping the vibe between games and making sure we were focusing on the next game and not worrying too much about the past was also key.
“It feels good, there’s not really any other way to put it,” he added. “I think we’ve been working really hard, so it does feel like we have earned it. The prize pool is amazing, I know the guys are very happy, but personally for me it’s just pride in winning. We want to keep winning and we want to be the best and solidify ourselves as the best PUBG team ever.”
The 29-year-old American also praised Gamers8 as “the best experience to date” of his gaming career.
“It’s been amazing. This whole thing’s been a grand spectacle. I think the future (for Saudi Arabia and gaming and esports) is limitless. I’m super excited to be playing in future tournaments here,” said hwinn.
“Saudi Arabia’s a wonderful country — the food’s great, the people are friendly. With Gamers8, the whole thing they’ve built here is just amazing.
“It’s awesome to see the growth of esports, especially in this country. I do believe esports is the future — this generation loves it and there’s so much potential to a game like PUBG. If they keep posting events like this, then we’ll keep showing up.”
Soniqs also took home an extra $20,000 for most WWCD overall — Winner Winner Chicken Dinner — during the PGS2 competition in Riyadh. TGLTN also earned from the finals an extra $20,000 as most-valued player, and $10,000 for most kills.
Asked for a message to new players, hwinn said: “My advice to aspiring esports players is to focus on being healthy. Have a healthy mindset and go to the gym. Work on being the best teammate that you can be — it’s not all about skill, it’s about how good a team play you have.”
