Originally launching in early access on PC back in 2017, ‘PUBG’, or originally ‘PLAYERUNKNOWN’S Battlegrounds’ is one of the biggest success stories in modern gaming history. Starting life as a mod for ARMA 2, it became a pioneer for a brand new genre which is now one of the most successful when it comes to free-to-play gaming.
PUBG, however, was not free to play games. Unlike other wildly popular titles such as Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and even Apex Legends, which all launched as free-to-play titles, PUBG held on, until now. As of right now, PUBG is a free-to-play game, but the creative director says it isn’t a reaction to any of those other titles. Speaking to GamesRader.com, Dave Curd said:
“We decided to make PUBG: Battlegrounds free to play because we feel that it is truly the right time”.
And indeed, five years is a good length of time for any multiplayer game to survive in a competitive market. It may have started with a single map, but PUBG has evolved in so many ways.
Curd explained:
“Our game is in a great place with eight maps, an engaged community, and our deep gun mechanics, so this is the natural next step and a great way to introduce more players to our universe”.
It would be a fair question, however, to wonder if going free to play this late in the day is a reaction to the other market leaders using that model, but Curd says this isn’t the case. He said,
“They're all great games which specialize in their unique strengths, just as we do. We develop our game independently of others and are excited to see what is to come”
He added that making it free to play will also open up new options when it comes to development, and hopes to continue to innovate and grow the PUBG experience.
