‘PUBG’ going free-to-play has nothing to do with ‘Fortnite’, apparently

In what is surely the most shocking news of 2022, the team behind OG battle royale titan PUBG recently decided to make the game free-to-play.

However, if you think this has something to do with the fact that the game's most successful competitors are also free-to-play, you are sadly mistaken. At least, according to PUBG.

Fee to pay — In an interview with GamesRadar, studio creative director Dave Curd said that the decision to go free-to-play was "in no way a response" to Apex Legends, Fortnite, or Call of Duty: Warzone. Nope, not at all. This decision was made because the studio "feel[s] that it is truly the right time." Well, okay then.

"Our game is in a great place with eight maps, an engaged community, and our deep gun mechanics, so this is the natural next step and a great way to introduce more players to our universe," Curd said. "I know there are a lot of people who are interested in PUBG: Battlegrounds but have never gotten around to playing it for various reasons - now is the perfect moment to get started."

Account adjustment — If you missed the hot news, PUBG Corporation announced this move during The Game Awards a few weeks ago. Players are now sorted into two tiers: free-to-play accounts and the premium "Battlegrounds Plus," which costs about $13. Battlegrounds Plus includes access to ranked mode, so if you're a serious battlegrounder, you're probably going to want to pick it up.

Perhaps you've also noticed that the name of the game has changed yet again, as PUBG is now apparently PUBG: Battlegrounds. If you plan on playing Playerunknown's Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds anytime soon, make sure you don't download the wrong game.