Free-to-Play PUBG: Explaining the Rumors

Twitter user PlayerIGN, who has already gained popularity due to their insightful forecasts and comments regarding PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has offered an alleged leak on their page stating that PUBG might become free. More specifically, the decision is supposed to be made following a test in August 2021. According to Player IGN, a free-to-play week is scheduled for the coming month, during which user feedback will be collected to guide the game’s further development. The leaker stressed that the initiative isn’t new in their tweet. A free-to-play test was carried out in 2019 to make sure the idea would get enough support and attention from players, following which the transition was postponed if not given up altogether.

Rumors that PUBG might become free have been circulating for quite some time now. Probably the most important reason is that the multiplayer shooter has been facing fierce competition from a number of similar games despite the fact it’s considered the grandfather of last-man-standing shooters. Having emerged in the wake of the Japanese-born battle royale cultural phenomenon, the genre proved attractive to many players.

Presently, PUBG’s main rivals are Fortnite and the Warzone edition of Call of Duty. Both titles can be enjoyed for free, which means they will probably have more appeal to those who haven’t made up their minds as to whether battle royal is their thing yet. The audience of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has reportedly been shrinking since its time of glory. Therefore, we estimate the chance of PUBG becoming free to download as reasonably high — after all, it’s the most obvious way to prevent potential players from turning to the more accessible alternatives.