The Incredible Journey Of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (also known as PUBG) is undeniably the biggest gaming surprise of 2017. “Surprise” is probably the best word that can be used to describe the game developed by Bluehole. PUBG came out as an early access title in March 2017 and immediately became a huge hit within the gaming world (and our YouTube channel). The premise of the title is really simple: up to 100 players jump out of an airplane onto a huge island; by the end of each match, the last player standing or the last team standing wins. PUBG is not a perfect game, as many of the user reviews on Steam can testify. Performance issues, glitches, and poor optimization are some of the problems that I have seen fans report since day one. At the same time, none of these annoyances have stopped over 30 million players from joining the most downloaded Steam title of the year. As a content creator myself, I look at PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds as a game defined by its moments. As I explained in a previous blog post, winning a match in PUBG is comparable to winning a World Cup in any sport. It’s tense, nerve-wracking and also, incredibly satisfying. These moments are what makes PUBG so incredibly popular on YouTube and Twitch. Navigating through the gaming section of YouTube or the most watched games on Twitch will prove how influential, mainstream and talked-about PUBG is. From Best Plays, to Funny Moments, it is undeniable that YouTubers and streamers play a huge role in the game’s success. Building a community around PUBG is very simple, and that is what makes the game so “shareable and consumable” for the popular YouTuber or the unknown (no pun intended) casual player. PUBG also holds several Guinness World Records titles such as: fastest time to sell 1 million units for a Steam Early Access game, fastest Steam Early Access game to gross $100 million (took 79 days) and most actively played game on Steam with 2,617,400 players (breaking Dota 2’s previous record of 1,291,328). As of today, December 22nd 2017, PUBG has finally left early access, and is now available to the public with its 1.0 version. It’s a huge improvement for the game, and one that millions around the world are currently celebrating. After 9 months of tweaking, this huge update brings a brand new map, five new weapons, three new vehicles, alongside several gameplay changes. With the first official version of PUBG, we have also seen the first bunch of reviews. Polygon gave the game a 10/10, praising how the game’s imperfection is also what makes PUBG so special. Needless to say, the review was met with a good amount of controversy on the internet, which is often the case when a game receives a perfect score. PUBG’S current Metacritic rating sits at 89, which is the same score I would give the game. Despite its technical shortcomings, I have personally enjoyed my time with PUBG. The game offers an addictive, fun and social gaming experience that fits hardcore and casual gamers. Because of its impact, appeal and massive player base, PUBG has joined the same realm shared by games such as Call of Duty and Counter-Strike. You can be sure we will hear about PUBG for a long, long time.

Speaking of PUBG: Don’t forget to join our Parsec Review Competition, where the best and most helpful review will be granted a free copy of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. Good luck to all the participants!