As the PUBG Global Invitational in Berlin finishes Day 1, teams from around the world are engaging in top-level skill, shooting, and strategy to prove their worth on the world stage. With the first day’s third-person perspective matches finished, Team Liquid came in at a hot second place position with 1685 just behind Gen.G Black at 1720 in the official standings. We caught up to Team Liquid starter Jord "ibiza" van Geldere to chat about his thoughts on the PUBG Invitational so far, as well his thoughts on his fellow competitors, the shift between third and first-person matches, and the competitive state of PUBG in general.
Twin Galaxies: How do you feel like the competitive scene is going for PUBG. Is it headed in the right direction or do changes need to be made?
Ibiza: I feel like it’s headed in the right direction to be honest. We’ve been working a lot with folks on the settings, loot tables, and formats of the competition. It’s kind of a new set-up, but the teams seem to like it and the viewers do as well, so I feel good about where the game is headed right now.
TG: Regarding perspectives, there seems to be a difference in which teams favor third or first-person. Why do you think that’s the case?
Ibiza: When it comes to third-person, a lot of players don’t like the fact that a player can sit behind a tree without showing themselves and have all the info outside of their cover that they need. A lot of Western teams don’t enjoy that. I myself prefer first-person as well. So when it came to playing the third-person format, we sort of had to correct our mindsets to get into it. It’s just a different type of game to adapt around.
(You can see the entirety of Team Liquid's first day at the Invitational in the video above)
TG: How did you prepare for third-person play in this competition? Did you practice with it a lot or did you focus your attentions on the first-person format more.
Ibiza: Definitely focused on first-person. I mean we played some public games because the rest of the scene doesn’t scrim in third-person, but we also wanted to get used to that camera, the field of vision, and things like that to be ready.
TG: What have you thought of the new Sanhok map so far? Do you think it’s viable for competitive play? Do you think it should be in future competitive rotations?
Ibiza: For duos, I think it works well, but not beyond that. I like the aspect of the cars in rotation, but I think there’s just a bit too much RNG there and 16 to 20 teams just isn’t going to be possible there, but I think it offers some neat possibilities.
TG: With that in mind, do you think we’ll see more competitive duos coming up in further events?
Ibiza: Maybe… Duos are interesting, but I think they’re always going to be more geared towards streaming events. I’m not sure if we’ll see them in head-up competition as much yet.
TG: As you come into third-person play, who’s the biggest threat out there? Which team are you most wary of?
Ibiza: Number 1? Definitely Gen.G Black. The Pittsburgh Knights are also doing really well, but altogether, everyone in the top 8 is a threat you want to keep an eye on as the competition goes on.
TG: A lot of people claim there’s a bit more toxicity in PUBG compared to other games. Do you think that’s true? And what do you think can be done to help the community mindset or break that image?
Ibiza: I think a lot of frustration comes out of issues with the game. One thing is the vsync with the FPS. Everytime they post something on social media you see a lot of people come out and throw hate at them. I feel like this is a thing in a lot of games, though Fortnite seems to have it better under control and hasn’t caught as much flak over it. It frustrates people and they throw that hate around.
TG: Speaking of Fortnite, have you dabbled in it or are you solely on PUBG. And is there anything you think PUBG can use from Fortnite to better itself?
Ibiza: I have played it and though it’s neat and all, I only play it for fun right now. That said, I feel like PUBG could take some cues from Fortnite on vsync settings to better itself and alleviate a lot of frustration with players.
TG: Is there anything you think needs to change with the competitive format of PUBG. Would it be better if there was a more standardized set of rules that were applied globally?
Ibiza: Yes, for sure. I think there should be an agreed upon format in point systems, number of teams per event, some things the same, but unify the other things so that viewers know what to expect when they come in to watch.
Don't miss out when the action picks back up tomorrow in the PUBG Invitational. You can check out the matches from various team perspectives or check out our handy guide on where to watch and when as the competition continues!
