The PUBG Mobile team has partnered with Lionel Messi in order to promote a new, soccer-themed update for its hit battle royale game.

The PUBG Mobile 2.3 update—dubbed "Football Carnival"—will add a number of time-exclusive consumables, equipment, outfits, and other cosmetics, as well as a new in-game event called Global Chicken Cup which Messi is set to captain.

This celebrity collaboration is hardly the first time Tencent opted to promote its hit battle royale game by teaming up with another high-profile brand, as the Chinese entertainment giant has a long history of doing just that.

Tencent's aggressive marketing efforts in the vein of the newly announced collaboration with Messi are a large part of the reason why PUBG Mobile is one of the most popular games ever created. In terms of players, PUBG Mobile keeps passing impressive download milestones on a yearly basis. As of this May, four years into its release, the game grossed over $8.42 billion in global revenues, according to Tencent's latest earnings report.


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