Premier League club Wolves has entered the biggest PUBG Mobile competition through its esports division. Earlier today, the team announced that it was picking up Team SMG’s slot in the PEL for an undisclosed sum. As a part of the deal, Wolves will now compete in the PMGC as well.
Team SMG is exiting the PEL
Team SMG was first to announce through the org’s Weibo account earlier in the day that they were departing the Peacekeeper Elite League (PEL). The PEL is the highest level of PUBG Mobile esports in China. Peacekeeper Elite, on the other hand, is the Chinese version of PUBG Mobile.
The organization didn’t reveal a clear reason behind its departure. In its statement, Team SMG thanked its fans for their support and said that while this was the end of the road for the org in Peacekeeper Elite, it would still carry on in other games.
Wolves Esports has now stepped in to take that mantle from Team SMG. The organization has been making big moves in China since 2021. Last year, it acquired a spot in the KPL, one of the biggest mobile esports tournaments in the world. It’s played with Honor of Kings – a game which reportedly has 100 million daily average users.
The PEL is also a very valuable league. The previous season of the league, the PEL Summer, had a prize pool of $4 million.
Besides the PEL, Wolves secure a slot in the PMGC as well
Team SMG hasn’t been the most successful team in the PEL. While it has been competing in it since the league’s inception back in 2020, they weren’t able to finish in the higher positions. This all changed, though, in the last season, the PEL Summer, where they put up a truly underdog performance to claim first place. They finished first over the likes of world champions Nova Esports and pocketed more than $1.3 million.
As a result of their victory, they secured an invited slot directly into the PMGC Grand Finals, which will take place in Jakarta from Jan. 6 to 8. Now, the team name on display in Jakarta will be Wolves Esports and not Team SMG. The org hasn’t announced it yet but will likely compete with the same roster.
With the backing of a Premier League club, it remains to be seen how they perform in the Grand Finals. They will face tough competition, though. Nova Esports are looking to secure a third straight world championship while Stalwart are also looking deadly after a dominant group stage performance.
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