PUBG: Battlegrounds‘ recent decision to make the game free-to-play is “in no way a response” to similar successful free-to-play shooters such as Call of Duty: Warzone, Fortnite, and Apex Legends, who have all similarly adopted that model.
During an interview with GamesRadar, studio creative director Dave Curd discussed its move to a free-to-play structure on PC and consoles from today. “We came to the decision to make PUBG: Battlegrounds free to play because we feel that it is truly the right time,” explained Curd.
“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. I know there are a lot of people who are interested in PUBG: Battlegrounds but have never gotten around to playing it for various reasons – now is the perfect moment to get started.”
Elsewhere in the interview, Curd explained that the decision was “in no way a response” to other similar Battle Royale titles on the market. “They’re all great games which specialize in their own unique strengths, just as we do. We develop our game independently of others and are excited to see what is to come,” he said.
Have you played PUBG: Battlegrounds?
The PUBG Corporation announced that the game would be moving to a free-to-play model during a segment at The Game Awards last year. During the show, the developer revealed that PUBG would feature two tiers moving forward – a standard free-to-play account, which “offers access to most game features”, and the studio’s premium tier, Battlegrounds Plus. Players who have previously bought the game will automatically be made a part of Battlegrounds Plus, while those new to the series will need to pay $12.99 should they want the additional features that the mode has to offer.
The full list of Battlegrounds Plus benefits are:
- Bonus 1,300 G-COIN
- Survival Masters XP + 100 percent boost
- Career – Medal tab
- Ranked Mode
- Custom Match functionality
- In-Game items, including the Captain’s Camo set, which includes hat, camo mask and camo gloves
For more on PUBG: Battlegrounds, make sure to check out this video detailing 5 additional things to know about the game going free-to-play.
Jared Moore is a freelance writer for IGN. You can follow him on Twitter.
