PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, better known as PUBG, has been around since 2017. The video game had quickly gained a large following. But, for several years, we saw this game as a premium title. Players had to purchase the game to enjoy it. That’s now changed as the game recently went to a free-to-play model. While the gates are now open for more players to try the title out, don’t confuse the business change for staying competitive.
There are a ton of great free-to-play video game titles out there. You have video games like Fortnite, Apex Legends, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Genshin Impact, to name just a few. These titles won’t cost players anything, but typically in-app purchases allow the studios to continue supporting the game long after its release. Even some premium titles have gone towards a free-to-play business model in the past. For instance, one example we can point to is Bungie’s Destiny 2. That game is also finding success with newcomers joining in regularly while outputting new content for players to purchase.
Recently, PUBG unveiled plans to become a free-to-play video game title. That switch was made, giving some players a chance to try out the game. After all, PUBG has been out for several years, and if the price tag ever swayed you away from the game, this could be a reason to give it a chance. Fortunately, this change is not something that the developers ever felt forced into doing. A recent interview with creative director David Curd on Gamesradar unveiled that this was not something done because of competition.
When asked about potential pressure to compete with other free-to-play games, David Curd denied that was the reason for getting rid of the price tag for this game. Instead, David Curd noted that they decided now was the right time to make PUBG free for players to try. We’re sure that this will bring quite a few new players online, and that should make for more support going into this game over the coming years.
