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‘PUBG’ arrives on mobile in the US
Two weeks ago, Epic announced that its super popular Battle Royale mode for Fortnite will be coming to phones and tablets. While players debated how using touchscreens could ever be competitive against mouse-and-keyboard players, the game that made the genre a household name snuck up and dropped its own mobile version in the US. Right now, American players can download PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds for iOS or Android -- and both versions are free to play.
'PUBG' roadmap includes new maps and more stable gameplay
PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds left beta this past December, adding a second map and instant replay feature to the 1.0 release, which also came to Xbox One in the same month. Since then, developer Bluehole has made various improvements, like spawning players in different locations to cut down on server load and pre-match mayhem and easier ways to report cheaters. Now, creator Brendan Greene has published the game's roadmap for the next year, promising a much more realistic and stable game with major updates set for every two months.
Pre-match 'PUBG' meet-ups won’t be nearly as violent
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is shaking things up. But why improve a formula that's already helped it nab 25 million PC players and over three million Xbox One players? Well, the problem lies with its pre-match meet-ups, which spawn players in the same area causing strain on its servers. Bluehole's solution is to plop groups of players in different starting locations on both its maps, according to a Steam community post. Anything that solves the game's rocky performance issues should be welcomed by fans.
‘PUBG’ already has over 3 million players on Xbox One
A preview version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds launched on Xbox One on December 12th and at the end of 2017, it already had over three million players. The game broke records left and right last year, so this may not be too big of a surprise. But it's notable since PUBG had quite a few issues when it launched on the console last month.
'PUBG' update makes it easy to report cheaters from replays
Cheating in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting to be a problem. What started on the third-person servers has started invading first-person ones as well. As such, PUBGCorp is releasing an update for the battle royale game that gives additional options for reporting nefarious players. "Starting with the current test build ... you will be able to report players directly from the replay feature of our game," according to the Steam Community page. "This means that you no longer need to be killed by a suspected cheater for you to be able to use the in-game reporting tool." As Polygon writes, when you right-click on a name in the player list or while observing them in follow mode, you'll find the new report button.
'PUBG' is quietly changing video games with its 3D replay technology
The new replay tools offered in PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds are so much more than standard video-capture technology. In fact, it isn't video capture at all -- it's data capture. The 3D replay tools allow players to zoom around the map after a match, tracking their own character, following enemies' movements, slowing down time and setting up cinematic shots of their favorite kills, all within a 1-kilometer radius of their avatar. It's filled with statistics, fresh perspectives and infinite data points to dissect. This isn't just a visual replay; it's a slice of the actual game, perfectly preserved, inviting combatants to play God.
'PUBG' sets new record with three million simultaneous players
In case you needed further proof that people really, really, really like PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG), Steam has your back. Today, the game shattered its previous concurrent-players record by more than double the amount, peaking at 3,106,358 this morning, according to Valve's game-selling platform. As of this month, PUBG had some 25 million players on PC overall. In September, the game peaked at 1,342,857 concurrent players.
Xbox's lack of compelling games won't be fixed next year
Microsoft's 2017 started six months early. At E3 2016, Xbox chief Phil Spencer closed out the company's keynote by teasing the "most powerful console ever." At this year's show, he finally revealed the Xbox One X, and in November, the hardware was at retail. In the time it takes to earn a bachelor's degree, Microsoft addressed one of the internet's loudest complaints about the Xbox One: that it wasn't powerful enough compared to the PlayStation 4.
As ‘PUBG’ finally exits beta, its creators look to the future
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) has been this year's biggest surprise. Since launching on Steam Early Access in late March, the game, which conceptually started life as a DayZ mod, has picked up 25 million players on PC, not to mention a marketing and publishing deal from Microsoft for an Xbox One version. This week, version 1.0 arrives on Steam, gaining a second map and new instant replay feature in the process. But for PUBG Corp CEO Chang Han Kim, even though the game is losing its beta status, work is far from finished. "When we first started this project and thought of the Early Access model, we never took it as a model where you start developing a game, you complete it, you ship it out and then be done with it," Kim said through a translator. "As long as we have fans out there playing our game, it will never be complete."
What's on TV: 'Bright,' 'Christopher Nolan 4K Collection'
As the clock ticks down on 2017, we're finally checking out Netflix's $90 million+ movie. Bright stars Will Smith as a cop in a world full of orcs and other mystical creatures, and we'll see if it's enough to pull attention away from flicks currently in the box office. For other home movie options (or last minute gift ideas) viewers can grab many of Christopher Nolan's movies on Ultra HD Blu-ray, either in boxed sets or individually. Movies like The Dark Knight, Interstellar, Inception and of course Dunkirk are available this week in 4K. On HBO, Game of Thrones fans can watch Kit Harington (Jon Snow) in Gunpowder this week, while PC gamers can enjoy v1.0 of PUBG and there's even a new Kinect game for Xbox One. Look after the break to check out each day's highlights, including trailers and let us know what you think (or what we missed).
'PUBG' tests a replay feature as it creeps toward v1.0
Now that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has launched in Early Access on Xbox One, its next milestone is an official retail release out of beta on the PC. That's expected to happen next week, but players who can't wait have a few new tweaks to try out on the 1.0 test servers, including a newly available (it has been used previously during tournaments and some events) replay function. The option needs to be turned on prior to the start of a match, but it records everything going on within 1km of the player.
Buy an Xbox One X and get 'PUBG' free for a limited time
From December 17th through the 31st, Microsoft will give everyone who purchases an Xbox One X a copy of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. A post on Xbox Wire says that over a million people played the battle royale game within 48 hours of being available. Not bad for a game that hasn't even hit 1.0 yet. The move makes a lot of sense; the folks who've play PUBG in Early Access for almost a year are exactly the type of audience Microsoft has been targeting with its "most powerful console ever" One X marketing campaign. That said, the lovably clunky game's appeal might be lost on the folks who are buying the $500 console just to show off their new 4K TV.
'PUBG' reveals its second map, Miramar (updated)
As PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds creeps towards version 1.0 and its console debut on Xbox One next week, it's about to double its number of maps. "Miramar" has a desert setting intended to serve as the opposite of its first map Erangel which was set in the forest. Sparse terrain dotted by dense urban areas should force players to mix up their strategies if they want to make it to the end of the Battle Royale. It will be playable in the "final test round" before 1.0, so we are expecting to see it this month, and there will be a gameplay preview shown during tonight's Game Awards show. Update: The trailer has been revealed, showing that the game's action is still just as exciting in the desert and that it will be live on test servers Friday morning (12/8) at 3 AM ET. Further, version 1.0 on PC is scheduled for release on December 20th, however, the game's price will stay the same as it was in Early Access and all new maps will be free. Click here to watch it or just scroll down and press play.
'PUBG' console version will run at 60 fps on Xbox One X (update)
In a magazine interview, PlayerUnknown himself Brendan Greene dropped a few details about the console version of his popular shooter. One tidbit is that when PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds arrives in Game Preview December 12th, developers are expecting to have it running at 60 fps on Microsoft's just-released Xbox One X, however it may be lower on Xbox One. From the November 194 issue of Games™ (via Wccftech): On Xbox One, we're not sure. We may have to limit it at 30FPS, maybe, but the last time I saw it, it was running at about 30 to 40. We're still constantly improving it so, you know, the aim is to get to 60. That's why we're doing Game Preview, because I think the great thing about console is it's a locked hardware system, so we can do really specific tweaks that tune it for those systems.
'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' is getting a mobile port in China
It was only about a week ago when Tencent announced that it's bringing a localized version of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to China, and earlier today, the tech giant added that it's also porting the PC game to mobile platforms -- an interesting move given that there are already several Chinese mobile clones of PUBG (even smartphone maker Xiaomi has one). While it's hard to imagine how one could enjoy a chicken dinner on much smaller screens and sans keyboard or mouse, Tencent said together with PUBG Corp, they will ensure that this authentic mobile port of PUBG will remain faithful to its PC counterpart in terms of gameplay method, core elements and compliance with local content regulations.
'PUBG' will be tweaked to add socialist-friendly messages in China
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has been this year's sleeper hit, and it's about to officially be released in China. The rub is, it'll have some pretty significant changes given the country's strict state-mandated censorship. Local publisher Tencent will "make adjustment to content and make sure they accord with socialist core values, Chinese traditional culture and moral rules," according to a statement obtained by Reuters. Last month, China said that the game was too violent and that the game's sale would likely be blocked because it strongly goes against the country's "socialist core values."
'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' arrives on Xbox One December 12th
For Xbox One owners, the wait to play PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) will end December 12th. The battle royale game consistently racks up 2 million daily players on Steam, and in just over a month it will transition to the Xbox Game Preview program as a work in progress, with studio Bluehole leaning on players to help guide the game's development. "We can use it like Steam Early Access where we can develop on console with the community, and that's going to be really essential -- in our view -- for getting a really great version on console," creator Brendan Greene told Engadget.
'PUBG’ studio isn't happy about ‘Fortnite: Battle Royale’
Epic Games' cartoony horde game Fortnite is still in early release, but the studio recently announced that a free-to-play version of the game would come out for free next week... and it looks a lot like another really popular game. Fortnite: Battle Royale's gameplay doesn't just closely resemble PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds: Epic admitted it inspired their new title while promoting its game. Bluehole, the studio behind PUBG, is none too happy, and even stated in a press release that it's considering 'further action.'
Epic hopes 'PUBG'-style 'Fortnite: Battle Royale' will tempt gamers
Epic Games' Fortnite has been out for a while in paid Early Access, but hasn't quite taken off in the same way that, say, Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG) has. The hot new indie "battle royale" title has a massive, rabid user base and an impressive sales record. It even knocked perennial chart-topper Dota 2 off the Steam charts - an impressive feat, indeed and one that developers like Epic and Rockstar are keen to reproduce. Now, Epic Games has revealed its strategy to compete with PUBG via a standalone title set in Fortnite's cartoonish, building-focused, zombie-infested universe. The new game, Fortnite Battle Royale, will arrive on Xbox One, PS4 and PC on September 26th, too, beating out PUBG's late-2017's console release date. Better yet, Battle Royale will be free to play.
'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' smashes Steam's peak user record
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has broken another Steam record, and this time it might stick. The battle royale shooter just surpassed Valve's Dota 2 to claim the all-time record for concurrent players. 1.34 million gamers fighting for survival at the same time, surpassing the previous record of 1.29 million set by Dota 2. That's not bad for a game that was only released in Early Access form in March, although it still pales in comparison to the concurrent player counts League of Legends enjoys, according to its developer.
