Meet the visionary PUBG MOBILE players pushing the boundaries of creativity

PUBG MOBILE is known for its frenetically paced battle royales, its competitive deathmatches and its dynamic esports scene. But did you know that the game also has a thriving creative community?

Among the 50 million daily active users of PUBG MOBILE is a dedicated community of talented, passionate players who are using dedicated in-game tools to develop their own content for the game. From custom outfits and firearms to maps and full-on scratch-developed game modes, the PUBG MOBILE creative scene is a hugely exciting and innovative space.

That creativity has been rewarded at the Creative Vision Awards 2024, which were hosted at the finals of the PMGC esports tournament. The awards honoured the incredible skill, dedication and creativity of the people who are continually designing the new content that makes PUBG MOBILE a thriving, constantly evolving experience.

PUBG MOBILE’s creative spaces

Players have been developing content for PUBG MOBILE using two key platforms. Ptopia Design Project (PDP) was the first global community-sourced co-creation program for PUBG MOBILE, and since its launch in 2021, it has seen more than a million creations come from its userbase. This is in large part thanks to the regular community-led design challenges, inspiring players to develop outfits, weapons, accessories and more.

The second platform is World of Wonder (WOW). This free-build game mode launched in 2023, and gave PUBG MOBILE players the chance to experience the game in a whole new way, allowing for the creation of whole new in-game modes and experiences, essentially from scratch.

The Creative Vision Awards were originally created to shine a well-deserved spotlight on the players who have used these modes to bring something special to the PUBG MOBILE community. As of the most recent ceremony, more than 300 players have now been honoured by the awards, with fourteen being presented this year to honour particularly outstanding creations and creatives in 2024. The winners received custom trophies and in-game titles.

In 2024, $50 million worth of resources have been invested into a co-creation eco-system for the game. As such, there’s never been a better time to dive in for yourself and see what kind of things you can create on PUBG MOBILE’s platforms, and ways you can make your voice heard in the game.

Creative Vision Awards 2024: the winning representatives

If you need some inspiration, read on to hear and see a little more from a select few of this year’s many Creative Vision Awards 2024 winners, with creators from both PDP and WOW sharing their creations and experiences.

PDP creators

Ayanda Mzobe (ayandacyfer_65958)

Winner: Best Rookie Award

Mentored by fellow award winner Brent Carl Swart (featured below), Ayanda Mzobe or ayandacyfer_65958 is a fresh-faced designer who is completing his studies this year. “I was very surprised when I found out that I’d actually won,” he says. “Because there was a lot of competition and a lot of good work. But I was super-happy.”

Ayanda’s winning design, “Heaven’s Frost”, was themed around a concept of ice and nature, a hunting enchantress that also incorporated fox-fur elements for an Arctic look. “I’m a graphic designer, and one of the main things I want to do is become a concept artist,” he says. “So this has given me the opportunity and the means to test that theory – see if I am actually that good. With my amount of wins and losses, I’ve learnt that there’s a lot more work to be done, but I have done a lot, and that’s what I enjoy about it. It allows me to achieve things on a global scale and enjoy creating new artworks.”

PAMRIDER

Winner: Most Creative Award

Hailing from Thailand, PAMRIDER has been playing PUBG MOBILE for more than six years. Their elegant, fashion-forward designs have been implemented in-game, taking cues from their Southeast Asian background to incorporate distinct elements of the region’s culture and sensibilities.

PAMRIDER loves how the PDP platform allows all players to create something meaningful that contributes to the game, and they plan to keep on contributing designs in the future.

Nengah Ariestrada Dwi Prasetya (blublueart)

Winner: Regional Spotlight Award

Ariestrada, who also goes by blublueart, is a freelance digital illustrator from Bali, Indonesia, who has been playing PUBG Mobile since 2019 and was thrilled to win his first PDP competition in 2024. “I was like whaaaaaa?!” he says. “I started making an Instagram story right after. I asked my family and friends to watch the awards too and they started congratulating me. I was so happy!”

Ariestrada won his award for his “Freezing Mist” design, taking inspiration from traditional clothing worn in Yakutsk, the Russian city that is infamous for being the coldest city in the world. He says his key goal is to see his favourite players and streamers wearing his designs in-game, and he plans to enter plenty more PDP competitions in the future – something he thinks everyone should do.

“Just do it!” he says. “PDP offers a wide range of prizes… and you will also meet the amazing community who will help you grow as an artist. Everyone has the same chance; if you are creative, you will win and have a chance for your design to be implemented in the game.”

Shehzin Mohammed Esmail (shaztokyo)

Winner: Best Outfit Design Award

Shehzin, also known as shaztokyo, won an award for her creative outfit design in PDP. “My winning project is very edgy, very dark,” she says. “It's really right up my alley and it's really my style. I love really cute outfits in game, but I also love the dark sinister type of things. So I was really happy when I created this. And you know what? I actually felt it in my soul that this was, like, the outfit for me.”

Shaz has participated in more than 20 competitions and has a passion for mentoring new PDP Creators to help them realise their visions. “I think what I enjoy the most is that you get to see so many creators’ designs,” she says. “It's just this outlet where anybody can join and we get to just help each other and get our names out there as designers and creators. So I really enjoy the whole Ptopia Design Project. It's a great initiative for everybody who is a player of PUBG MOBILE.”

Brent Carl Swart (sgtoyota)

Winner: Special Contribution Award

A Creative Director and lecturer from Pretoria, South Africa, Brent Carl Swart (a.k.a. sgtoyota) has played a huge role in mentoring and shaping the next generation of PDP creators, including Ayanda Mzobe, who went on to win the Best Rookie Award.

Brent has had three of his previous designs implemented in the game – the Battle Puppet set, Dimwalker set, and Flamestrider set, all of which showcase his unique creative sensibility and his knowledge of African design history.

“I was super-happy about [winning],” Brent says. “I was actually supposed to be in London; my passports came a day too late. But I was surrounded by family and friends and we were watching it together. It was awesome.”

Brent sets goals for himself every year – in 2025 he is aiming to have more of his designs implemented and win more awards for his PDP creations, meaning he’ll be able to attend the next PMGC. “I think [PDP] is a game-changer, man,” he says. “It really changes the perspective – especially for the creators – of what is possible in the game, what can be used as a skin. It gives PUBG Mobile the edge on other games.”

WOW creators

Ahmed Ibrahem Ahmed (WarriorMido)

Winner: Most Popular Award

A committed advocate for diversity, Ahmed Ibrahem Ahmed (a.k.a. WarriorMido) from Egypt is best known for helping other map designers in WOW achieve their creative visions. He loves everything about maps, especially deep-dive discussions into how they function, and his creative generosity has seen him win the Most Popular Award in World of Wonder.

Allouch (علُوشツ)

Winner: Best Gameplay Design Award

As a web developer with experience of designing games using HTML, Allouch has been able to bring a level of technical nous to the WOW creative space. Based in Morocco, he says he was able to quickly adapt to WOW’s mechanics, allowing him to create unique modes that saw him take home the Best Gameplay Design Award. He hopes to continue creating lots more concepts for WOW in the future.

Hussein Ayoub (𝗛𝘂𝘀𝘀𝗲𝗶𝗻 𝗔𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗯 🎭)

Winner: Best Stage Design Award

While Hussein Ayoub has been playing PUBG MOBILE since 2018, he only became a WOW creator in mid-2023. But that hasn’t stopped him from building a reputation as one of the space’s most creative map designers, and winning Creative Vision Awards in both 2023 and 2024.

Husnain Shahzad (B2ksamurailive)

Winner: Best Fun Factor Award

Husnain Shahzad is also known online as B2ksamurailive, and he has been a WOW creator ever since its first inception into PUBG MOBILE, participating in every WOW event and earning a Golden Trophy in 2023. This year he scooped the Best Fun Factor Award, with his impressive content creations having garnered more than 300 million views across TikTok, YouTube and Instagram.

A popular mentor in the WOW space, Husnain has collaborated with PUBG Mobile to develop a course for new creators, and has since conducted a number of workshops and seminars across various universities in his home country of Pakistan.

Khan Samina (Knight Queen)

Winner: Best Theme Design Award

Based in the UK, Khan Samina (a.k.a. Knight Queen) loves using the WOW infrastructure to design maps for PUBG MOBILE, as well as helping other creators do the same. “I think creativity is something inside every person,” she says. “I love playing games, I like creating things, and I think PUBG MOBILE gives me the perfect chance to combine the two.”

Knight Queen’s journey in WOW started as little more than an experiment. “I didn’t know what I was doing; I was just listening to my heart,” she says. “When people started giving me a good response and liking my creations, I think that’s what inspired me to keep going.”

Her creation process is driven by in-the-moment inspiration and feelings rather than meticulous planning – and she also loves taking on feedback from the community on her maps and how to make them even better. “I have a lot of fans around the world, and I really appreciate their support,” she says. “I think they’re part of my journey; without them I’m nothing. So thank you very much to them.”