"PUBG: Battlegrounds" is switching to a free-to-play model on Jan. 12, 2022, after amassing sales of about 75 million, the developer of the game, Krafton, announced during The Game Awards 2022.
An Iraqi man shows the cover of the Battlegrounds game at an electronics shop in Baghdad, on May 11, 2021. - The mobile version of the PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds game has become so popular in Iraq that the country's youth have been dubbed the "PUBG generation", as people across the country are spending hours every day on its virtual battleground, socialising via its live chat, playing competitively, or even falling in love.
'PUBG: Battlegrounds
As per the report by VentureBeat, the battle royale gaming title of Krafton for PC and consoles like the PS5 and the Xbox, known as "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds," is facing another era at the beginning of next year.
It is to note that since it was launched in 2017, the battle royale title has been sold for a fee.
Nevertheless, the shooter game garnered a massive player base, making it a massive hit around the world.
In fact, it even caught the attention of Epic Games, thus the game developer went on to release its own free battle royale, "Fortnite," according to the news story of The Verge. It has since become a massive success as well, outperforming the fame of "PUBG."
On top of that, another giant game developer, Activision Blizzard, also followed suit and made its only free-to-play battle royale under its shooter franchise "Call of Duty."
Like "PUBG" and "Fortnite," "Call of Duty: Warzone" drew millions of players as well. In addition to that, similar to the latter, Activision's battle royale also overtook the performance of Krafton's paid gaming title.
However, it is interesting to point out that "PUBG: Battlegrounds" has actually never faltered despite the free offerings of its close rivals.
In fact, the game has already sold 75 million copies for consoles and PCs since it was released in 2017.
PUBG and Mobile Gaming
In addition to that, "PUBG" has also expanded to the emerging market of mobile gamers with PUBG Mobile.
Just recently, the developers of the "PUBG: Battlegrounds" released its own mobile version of the battle royale, the "PUBG: New State." Both gaming titles are free-to-play for both Android and iOS users.
Meanwhile, the "PUBG Mobile" has been so impressively popular that it has already been downloaded on combined platforms a whopping 1 billion times.
'PUBG: Battlegrounds for FREE
This time around, even the "PUBG: Battlegrounds" for PC and next-generation gaming consoles are getting the same treatment as its mobile counterparts, as well as its rivals "Fortnite" and "Call of Duty: Warzone."
Although the game will start to be available for free starting in 2022, "Battlegrounds" will now have a premium subscription service to the tune of $13.
Battlegrounds Plus Upgrade
The premium tier that goes by the name "Battlegrounds Plus" provides its players with tons of additional in-game items, such as skins and weapons.
If ever you previously spent some cash to play "PUBG: Battlegrounds" before it switched to its free-to-play version, don't fret--you'll automatically get "Battlegrounds Plus" without any extra charge.
Related Article: 'Battlegrounds Mobile India' is a Copycat of 'PUBG'--What Makes it Different from the 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds'
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Written by Teejay Boris
