Hong Kong embraces battle royale fever with PUBG tournament

Whoops and cheers rang out across the Plaza Hollywood mall in Hong Kong -- punctuated by loudspeakers blaring one question: “WHO GETS TO EAT CHICKEN?”

It’s not a chicken giveaway. This is the first day of the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Team Qualifier -- an esports tournament heralding the way for next month’s Hong Kong Esports and Music Festival.

The seemingly bizarre phrase is a reference to the game’s victory message: “Winner winner chicken dinner!"

Teams of four, ranging from high school students to working adults, crouched over sleek computer screens, clicking frantically. They’re entirely focused on that one goal: Be the last team standing… and win that chicken dinner. (There is, of course, a cash incentive as well: HK$200,000 (around US$25,000) to the top two teams.)

The three day festival will run from August 24-26, and features three esports tournaments. It’s also the second year that the Hong Kong Tourism Board is organizing the event alongside the Industrial and Commercial Bank of China, an attempt by the city to try to keep up with the lucrative esports industry.

And organizers are definitely trying to capitalize on the battle royale craze. To get people interested, they even shot a real-life PUBG commercial featuring celebrity Jason Chan for the event.