It's been nearly seven years since PUBG: Battlegrounds took the gaming world by storm, effectively igniting the Battle Royale craze that would have dominated online games for years and inspiring a series of copycats. Just a few months ago, KRAFTON finally settled a long-standing lawsuit against NetEase's Knives Out.
While the game isn't quite as popular as it used to be (it still holds the all-time concurrent player peak record on Steam with over a million players more than Palworld), PUBG: Battlegrounds still has an active community that demands updates. Today, developer KRAFTON has delivered a detailed roadmap for this year, announcing that huge changes are coming.
To begin with, the developers will upgrade from Unreal Engine 4 to Unreal Engine 5. Production Director of Ingame Taehryun Kim said:
We think what you are most looking forward to is the visual improvements through this. The development team's goal for this upgrade is to achieve the highest quality visual upgrades, from characters and vehicles to weapons and the game world.
I mentioned changes that players can directly feel, but we will not only upgrade the engine. In the process, we will also make various changes. Elements to be modified or maintained.
Although it is difficult to elaborate everything in detail, what is certain is that we will retain the iconic characteristics and core gameplay of PUBG: Battlegrounds and do our best to make it an enduring game.
KRAFTON is also preparing a UGC (user-generated content) mod that will allow players to create their own maps and mods within the game. Moreover, destructible environments will be introduced to add a dynamic new layer of strategy and tactics to the game. PUBG: Battlegrounds players will be able to strategically destroy sections of buildings or construct defensive barriers, opening new attack routes or securing areas. A preview of this feature will be added with the April update and then expanded upon in subsequent patches.
Gunplay updates are scheduled to be released every two months throughout 2024. KRAFTON is also developing survival-focused items to add more dynamic actions and refining and expanding special modes for a more casual gaming experience.
New gameplay systems and content will also be launched to escalate tension and offer fresh challenges. The team vs. team system will allow players to collaborate with teammates to compete in scoring against an opposing team, with rewards available for achieving team-winning streaks. Lastly, KRAFTON promised improvements coming to matchmaking, Ranked Play, and anti-cheat systems. You can check out the full Dev Talk episode on YouTube.
