Sanhok will return on Wednesday, July 22, and it seems like it will have some ties to the Sanhok 4 revealed in the video above. The video opens with a behind-the-curtain look at the folks maintaining the in-universe Battlegrounds matches, complete with stream chat moderator and Blue Zone Guy. Things quickly go to hell when a squad of four especially dangerous participants drop off the net and invade the control bunker on the island. The video ends with an appearance from the no-doubt disgustingly rich mastermind behind the Battlegrounds, who’s become a recurring shadowy character in these lore drops. 

Profiles for the Sanhok 4 are available on the PUBG website (opens in new tab). They’re all some flavor of murderer, basically, from born and raised psychopaths to ex-military turned mercenaries. PUBG Corp. not-so-subtly invites players to participate in the investigation into the Sanhok 4’s goals and whereabouts, and it says additional hints will be shared in the days ahead, so expect this to come to a head on Wednesday. 

It’s not quite as bizarre as that Jonathan Frakes segment about a child murderer (opens in new tab), but I reckon the Sanhok 4 archives are a worthy addition to the growing library of weird-ass PUBG lore. Like most players, I always just kind of accepted that PUBG dropped 100 players onto an island full of guns Because Video Game, but I’ll be damned if it isn’t fun to watch PUBG Corp. graft an actual story onto things. 

These PUBG tips (opens in new tab) may not help you find the Sanhok 4, but they will help you stay alive when you drop on Sanhok for the first time in a while.

The post PUBG continues its bizarre lore campaign with mysterious Sanhok 4 ARG video appeared first on Game News.

While the Doc didn’t exactly hold back with his words, it shows the scale of the PUBG cheats issue still facing the game. We’ve put together some of the key things to look out for, and information on how to report a PUBG (opens in new tab) player you suspect is cheating. Read on, and help root out those that unfortunately ruin the experience for everyone else.

PUBG Erangel map (opens in new tab) | PUBG Karakin map (opens in new tab) | PUBG Miramar map (opens in new tab) | PUBG Sanhok map (opens in new tab) | PUBG Vikendi map (opens in new tab)

Types of PUBG cheats

When it comes to PUBG cheats there are two types of hacks that are pretty common, aim hacks and speed hacks. Both are pretty self explanatory, one makes you speed round the map at a rapid pace, while the other will automatically make sure that your bullets always head towards an opponent. Then there are a number of more subtle cheats that aren’t usually as obvious. 

PUBG aimbots and hacks

PUBG aimbots and hacks are probably the most annoying things out there. They will take control of a players aim and automatically target it towards opponents. This can be abused in multiple ways. The most obvious is that every bullet they fire that has a line of sight towards another player will hit, and is the explanation to why other players seem to be able to hit ridiculous cross map shots. 

Some aim hacks will also add auto fire, so if the hack detects that it has an unobstructed shot at an opponent it will automatically fire. This is basically an auto win hack, if you even so much go close to someone running this hack you will likely die. Fortunately this will be incredibly obvious in your death replay most of the time, so you can hit that report button and send the cheater packing. 

PUBG speed hacks

PUBG speed hacks are a less damaging option, and can at times be pretty amusing to witness. They usually give the player a massive speed increase, meaning they can go from one side of the map to the other in seconds. It makes them near impossible to take down as they can be in the middle of Pochinki before a bullet you fired at them in Gatka will land, and means they can just run around and take down any players they see. 

The actually usefulness of this is more limited than an aim hack. The hacker becomes obvious instantly, so this is probably only good for a couple of games before they get banned, and in the later stages of a game it makes them way more likely to slip into the blue and die unintentionally. 

PUBG recoil scripts

Almost all of the weapons in PUBG have some kind of recoil, and you are expected to learn how to control it or reset the recoil by implementing a short delay between shots. However, some people decide to download scripts or macros that automatically manage the recoil. This means all they have to do is press the fire button and don’t have to adjust their mouse to account for the recoil, as the script will do it all for them and every shot will go exactly where they want it to. It’s not quite an aim hack as it doesn’t lock on to a target, but it does give players a massive advantage in fights. Unfortunately they are also quite difficult to detect, as this could just be someone who has mastered that particular weapons recoil. 

PUBG wall hacks

Wall hacks basically allow cheaters to see other players through walls, or add extra UI elements to reveal a players location. The most common versions show an outline of players, or their skeleton, to the hacker if they are in close proximity. This means that hackers don’t see the location of players on the other side of the map, but can use the information to their advantage to get a drop on unsuspecting players who think they are hidden. If a hacker is smart they can use a wall hack and still remain undetected, because it’s difficult to prove that they didn’t hear you or have some other legit information that lead to your death. 

Other PUBG cheats

There are quite a few other cheats out there, or ones that we have seen in the past. Quick looting is a common one, which allows players to pick up everything on a loot pile and automatically equip items they need within a second. Admittedly this isn’t that useful, as most skilled players can do this with a drag looting technique anyway. Some players have also claimed to have working lag switches, which are designed to make other players in the game lag and give the hacker an advantage, but we must say we have never seen one actually being used. There’s also some hacks that allow players to use flying vehicles that travel at a rapid pace, and one amazing cheat that allowed players to have extendable arms so their body would still be in cover but they could reach up into the sky and still shoot. Although that one seems to have disappeared in recent times. 

How to report PUBG cheaters

If you do come across an obvious cheater in PUBG there is always that big old report button on the death screen that you can hit. Generally speaking PUBG Corp is pretty good at banning any hackers, so any obvious ones you do report shouldn’t be around for too long. That doesn’t stop your game from being ruined, but it might save someone else’s, so always hit report if you come across a cheater. 

There is also the anti-cheat systems in PUBG that auto detect some known hacks and ban the player automatically. PUBG Corp seem to keep this updated with all the big known hacks, so it’s not often that a specific hack will be around for too long, however there will always be people developing new ones to get around the system. 

PUBG tips (opens in new tab) | PUBG mobile tips (opens in new tab) | PUBG beginner’s guide (opens in new tab) | Best PUBG starting gear (opens in new tab) | PUBG armor (opens in new tab) | Best PUBG gun (opens in new tab) | How to aim in PUBG on consoles (opens in new tab) | Games like PUBG (opens in new tab)

The post PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds cheats explained appeared first on Game News.

Sony recently took action to make the PS Now subscription more attractive to gamers, slashing prices by nearly 50% (opens in new tab) and adding popular games like God of War, GTA 5, Infamous: Second Son, and Uncharted 4: A Thief’s End. The latest crop of games might not pack quite the same punch as other recent additions, but PUBG in particular still has a following that could help boost PS Now subscriptions.

Indeed, PUBG Corporation are working to maintain PUBG’s foothold in the battle royale space, with Season 5 (opens in new tab) of the popular battle royale shooter in full swing. It was also recently announced that some big changes were coming to its loot box system, chiefly that random paid loot crates will be completely removed from the game by December 8.

Wolfenstein: The Old Blood is the 2015 standalone prequel to Wolfenstein: The New Order. Given its namesake, and mostly positive reviews (opens in new tab), you can expect plenty of gloriously-violent Nazi-killin’ to fill your time. Formula 1 2019 is the latest entry in the popular racing franchise, sure to please the inner speed demon in all of us.

The new additions to PS Now join other crowd-pleasers like Rocket League (opens in new tab), Persona 5 (opens in new tab), and Mortal Kombat X, which Sony (opens in new tab) says were among the most popular games for the subscription service in November.

It’s not too late to grab some of the year’s best games on the cheap with our guide to the best Cyber Week game deals (opens in new tab). 

The post PUBG is available to stream and download on PS Now appeared first on Game News.

As spotted by The Loadout (opens in new tab), dataminer PlayerIGN – who’s been spot on with previous leaks, incidentally – located a number of files hinting that a new clan-based system might be on its way. 

According to PlayerIGN, the clan system isn’t free, exactly, as you’ll need 5,000 BP to set one up. Clan names will be limited to 2-15 characters, while the shortened tag doesn’t offer much choice with only 2-4 characters. It’s believed there’ll be a 20 member limit, which might be why there’s also a dedicated section for recruits and resumes. It’s also thought clans may be linked to the upcoming ranked mode, as there’s a “no clan” label for the leaderboard.

New stuff on Clan System:- 5,000 BP COST- Title: 2-15 char., 6 num.- Tag: 2-4 char.- Slogan: 30 char.- Presentation: 180 char.- Members: 20- “recruits” & “‘résumés”[Also ‘No Clan’ labels were found on the Leaderboard (removed)– Clan could be linked with the new Ranked] pic.twitter.com/Yd2osfZ4cSNovember 7, 2019

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As yet there are no clues on when the feature might be introduced, but given a similar system was introduced for mobile players in July 2018, it’s not hugely surprising a similar system is coming to PC and console, too. Just try to look surprised when it’s formally announced, though, okay?

The most highlight-reel worthy change to PUBG in update 5.1 (opens in new tab) – which hit PC on October 23 and consoles on October 29 – is the ability to throw all melee weapons: you could even get a one-hit distance kill with your frying pan if your aim is right and your opponent is close enough.

As Connor detailed a few weeks back, other big changes coming include throwing helpful items to allies (turns out there’s a lot of throwing in this patch), significant alterations to the Miramar map, the sudden appearance of vending machines, and of course a bunch of new stuff to earn from the latest Survivor Pass. If a teammate uses a radio message to request healing or ammo, a button prompt will appear over their head to automatically lob over whatever they wanted, straight into their inventory. You can throw items up to 15 meters, and if they’re moving too fast or their inventories are full the item will land near their feet.

Looking for other games like PUBG (opens in new tab)?

The post Looks like clan systems are coming to PUBG on PC appeared first on Game News.

The limited time event will let you track prints left by the titan in order to collect items based off the upcoming Godzilla: King of Monsters (opens in new tab), a sequel to the 2014 Godzilla movie. It’s all part of a free update coming sometime this month. 

Like other events, this crossover should include a special limited time mode and a variety of event skins. We might even get the chance to see Godzilla—a special sight that would give these deserted maps some energy.

Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds is still going strong with over 100 million players and a steady stream of new content. PUBG Mobile recently featured a special Resident Evil 2 crossover (opens in new tab) where players had to survive against a horde of zombies through the night. They also had a Mission Impossible themed (opens in new tab) event with Paramount Pictures in the middle 2018 around the time Mission Impossible: Fallout came to theaters.

Another collaboration is here! We are thrilled to announce the crossover between PUBG MOBILE and Godzilla: King of the Monsters! Parachute in to find clues of Godzilla’s imminent arrival. See Godzilla: King of the Monsters in theaters May 31st! #PUBGMxGodzilla #GodzillaMovie pic.twitter.com/3PoGZb5rlVMay 16, 2019

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PUBG already had a similar event during Chinese New Year where players had to follow clues to hunt down a dragon, although that was restricted to fans in China. Some players (opens in new tab) have already started to collect Godzilla themed shirts and spot graffiti from the movie in various spots on the map, so the event can’t be too far off. The movie releases on later this month on May 31. 

Has Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds whet your appetite for eliminations? Here’s 13 awesome Battle Royale games (opens in new tab) like PUBG you should check out.

PUBG beginner’s guide | How to aim in PUBG on consoles | PUBG cheats explained (opens in new tab) | PUBG tips (opens in new tab) | PUBG gun guide (opens in new tab) | Games like PUBG (opens in new tab)

The post Godzilla is coming to dominate the world of Playerunknowns Battlegrounds appeared first on Game News.

If you’re a Fortnite (opens in new tab) fan, you should also get a kick out of trying the battle royale game that inspired it. PUBG is a more methodical shooter with tons of weapon and gear customization instead of building, but some of your skills still ought to transfer over. Meanwhile, PES 2019 is a strong footballing alternative to FIFA 2019 for fans who are looking for more authenticity on the pitch.

Both games are only free for a limited time; if you want to keep playing after the weekend ends, you’ll have to purchase them as normal. However, you should be able to retain whatever progress you made during the free weekend, if it works like pretty much every other free trial thing Xbox offers.

If you’re looking for some more games to enjoy while the online multiplayer is free and abundant, look no further than our list of the best online games (opens in new tab). The majority of them are playable on Xbox One X, and they might just be fun enough to convince you to sign up for a subscription once the free weekend ends. If you do, make sure you consult our guide to the best prices on Xbox Live Gold 12 month (opens in new tab) subscriptions.

Check out the current crop of Xbox Games with Gold (opens in new tab) to see more of the perks that come with a subscription. 

The post Play PUBG and PES 2019 complete with online multiplayer free this weekend appeared first on Game News.

Why is PUBG suing Fortnite?

Technically it’s PUBG Corp, a subsidiary of South Korean game developer Bluehole, suing Epic Games Korea, a subsidiary of the company that develops Fortnite and the Unreal Engine that both PUBG and Fortnite are built on. But I’m going to keep calling the respective parties PUBG and Fortnite for clarity’s sake. In this instance, PUBG is making good on threats of “further action” that it first made last year (opens in new tab), complaining that Fortnite had improper “User Interface (UI), gameplay, and structural replication” of PUBG. The ensuing copyright infringement lawsuit was first filed in January in the Seoul Central District Court but it just entered the public eye late last week.

What are the chances this lawsuit will be successful?

It’s tough to say. Speaking from an American perspective, it’s rare for lawsuits over conceptual similarities in games to be successful – our court system tends to favor the good ol’ exchange of ideas, at least in that regard. But I’m not sure how the jurisprudence will shake out in the Korean courts. What I do know is the more specific examples of copied mechanics that PUBG can point out in Fortnite, the stronger its case will be. This is especially important because the “battle royale” concept existed in games for years before PUBG helped push it into the mainstream (and before PUBG filed its copyrights). Citing specific contributions that PUBG made to battle royale games that Fortnite lifted for its own Battle Royale mode will help establish Fortnite as committing copyright infringement, rather than simply making another one of those games.

The case is complicated by the fact that PUBG and Fortnite have an existing business relationship, PUBG being a licensor of Epic Games’ Unreal Engine. PUBG could allege that this connection made it easier and/or more egregious for Fortnite to build a similar competitor – say, by taking ideas from internal communications. Granted, the Epic employees responsible for creating the Unreal Engine and those behind Fortnite may not have too much overlap. Hopefully the company keeps those two aspects of the business separate.

What could this lawsuit mean for Fortnite?

If Fortnite is found guilty of infringing on PUBG’s copyright(s), it would be up to the judge to determine proper compensation for the trouble. A cash payout would likely be based on how much money Fortnite has made in Korea, and assuming Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode continues operating, an ongoing royalty payment from Fortnite to PUBG could serve as a sort of retroactive licensing fee. The judge may even order Fortnite Battle Royale to cease operations in Korea if PUBG’s case is strong enough, but I doubt PUBG would push for that. Better to make money off the biggest phenomenon in gaming than try to shut it down outright (at least, that’s what I’d do).

What could this lawsuit mean for PUBG?

Aside from potentially bringing in a lot more money or hobbling a big competitor? Well, let’s look at how this could backfire for PUBG. Remember that PUBG is built entirely on Unreal Engine, another product of Fortnite developer Epic Games. If Epic feels that this lawsuit is a bad-faith move on its business partner’s part, it may try to revoke PUBG’s license to Unreal Engine, which would be devastating. Keeping PUBG rolling without its Unreal license would be like trying to keep a car driving down the highway after the motor fell out. To be clear, Epic would need a better reason than “we’re mad at you” to revoke PUBG’s license. But this could be an impetus for Epic to look very closely at its licensing agreement with PUBG Corp.

Again, though, don’t think of this in the context of angry people thumbing their noses at each other. Both PUBG and Fortnite will make the decisions they foresee as the most profitable. Even if Fortnite’s a bigger source of income for Epic than PUBG (which it likely is), Epic would not cut off PUBG’s revenue stream lightly.

When will we know more?

At the speed of courts! So… not very soon, probably. Keep in mind that this lawsuit was initially filed in January and we’re just hearing about it now. But we’ll keep an eye on it and let you know as any more big developments unfold.

Want to broaden your battle royale horizons just in case? Check out a bunch of games like Fortnite (opens in new tab). 

The post Courtnite: The PUBG devs are suing the Fortnite devs over copyright infringement appeared first on Game News.

Not so fast.

While it’s true that The Netherlands found 4 of 10 games it investigated to be in violation of the law, this isn’t quite the Earth-shaking moment it may at first appear to be. Let us explain:

This wasn’t a scientific study

The Netherlands began its investigation in November 2017, focusing on 10 games with loot boxes deemed to be the most popular. The exact methodology has not been revealed, but the Netherlands Gaming Authority claims in its initial news post that it more or less just pulled the 10 most popular games with loot boxes off an unnamed streaming site (I’m betting Twitch, but that’s just speculation on my part). It then used a tool to evaluate how random the rewards were, and made decisions based on previously-penned literature on gambling and addiction.

In other words, there doesn’t appear to have been rigorous testing, accounting for variables, or a control group like you would see in a scientific study – and that makes sense, because it was never supposed to be about that. This was not an effort to determine what effect loot boxes have on the brain, it was a government inquiry to see who, if anyone, was breaking the law. Be wary of anyone saying this proves something beyond “four games violated the law.” Speaking of law…

These are not new laws

The Netherlands did not just make loot boxes illegal. It did not write new laws in the wake of fiascos like Star Wars Battlefront 2 or Middle-earth: Shadow of War. Instead, this investigation sought to determine if current video games were in violation of existing laws.

And, as the post itself declares (via Google Translate), “Coincidence determines the contents of these loot boxes. Moreover, the prizes can be traded outside the game: the prizes have economic value. It is forbidden to offer this type of games of chance without a license to the Dutch players.”

In other words, any game of chance with economic value (which the investigation determined several loot boxes to be) require a license, and it’s that lack of license that the NGA takes issue with. These laws are already on the books. All the loot box controversy did was bring light to the practice – it didn’t cause new laws about what is and isn’t legal.

This does not apply to all loot boxes

You may be wondering why only 4 out of 10 games investigated were found to be in violation of established law. Re-read the quote above; did you catch the bit about “economic value”? If the items contained within a game’s loot box could be traded or sold outside of the game, that made them worth real-world money.

And according to the NGA, if you can sink real-world money into a game of chance and receive something worth real-world money in exchange (even if by default it is still a virtual item), that’s gambling. And that requires a license.

So, games like Overwatch, which helped popularize the business model, would be exempt because nothing from an Overwatch loot box can be traded or sold outside of the game. However, since you can sell Dota 2’s items via the Steam Marketplace, it could be in violation. Unfortunately…

We don’t know who got in trouble

The NGA’s report merely states that 4 of the investigated 10 games were found to be in violation of the law. No names, of either the games themselves or the developers and publishers, were released. Dutch website NOS (opens in new tab) singles out FIFA 18, Dota 2, PUBG, and Rocket League, but it’s not clear if these are the confirmed culprits or merely suspects (translation via Reddit (opens in new tab)).

That said, the NGA said that the 10 games it investigated were pulled from a popular streaming platform, so one need only look at the trending games on services like Twitch to get an idea of whose wrists are getting the proverbial slap. Again, these aren’t the confirmed four games mentioned by the report, but they fit the description.

The repercussions will be minor (for now)

Whoever is behind the four unnamed games found to be in violation of The Netherlands’ gambling laws will have until June 20 to adjust their designs. If they do not, the government can impose fines or prohibit sales of the game.

The NGA also claimed that it found a potential link between loot boxes and addiction. Therefore, it requests that developers and publishers (even those not in violation of the law) remove “addiction-sensitive elements (‘near-profit’ effects, visual effects, the possibility to keep open loot boxes in quick succession and the like)”. While The Netherlands is not enforcing these requests via law, it nonetheless sends a message.

You might think this would be a final nail in the coffin for loot boxes then, because now a government body has basically said ‘this is gambling, and we’re going to regulate it like gambling’ (and indeed this could be a major precedent that other countries look to as they also figure out what to do about loot boxes). But there’s some vindication for publishers looking to the monetization system too.

Remember, only games with loot boxes containing items that could be sold or traded for real-world money were found to be in violation of the law. So loot boxes themselves aren’t actually in any major trouble, just a very specific type are.

That all being said, loot boxes are such a divisive topic that publishers have started shying away from the practice, if not removing them all together a la Battlefront 2 (opens in new tab) and Shadow of War (opens in new tab). So it’s possible this will be the nudge that convinces publishers and developers to give up on loot boxes, or it could just be a warning shot. Time will tell.

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The post The Netherlands declares four games using loot boxes to be in violation of law appeared first on Game News.

Writing in a blog post on its website (opens in new tab), PUBG Corp – the studio now actively working on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds for both PC and Xbox One – outlined a brief overview for its plans over the next few months of this year. 

“In March”, explains the blog, “the team will reveal what you can expect from us in the first half of 2018 in terms of our development and new content plans which, by the way, include a new map.”

If you do the math there, you’ll see that this slightly convoluted sentence is essentially confirming that the next multiplayer map for PUBG will be out before the end of July, and PUBG Corp will be revealing what it looks like as soon as next month. See, I told you everyone’s a winner. 

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PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds guide (opens in new tab)

But where will this map take place? So far we’ve had woodland and desert biomes… could the next setting be the urban jungle that players have been dreaming about ever since PUBG’s rise to fame and fortune? 

Considering how long it too for the studio to release last month’s Miramar map, this is a surprisingly quick turnaround for PUBG Corp. Perhaps they’re learning a thing or two from Fortnite: Battle Royale (opens in new tab), and Epic Games’ insanely speedy development cycle with that game, which has now overtaken PUBG as the most popular title of the year so far. 

The blog post also outlines a number of hotfixes and technical changes coming to PUBG, and you can check out the whole list of updates arriving with the oncoming patch right here (opens in new tab). 

Apparently, PUBG Corp’s ongoing crackdown against cheaters has been the reason behind the delays to new content coming out for Battlegrounds, to the point where the studio has had to sideline important updates to the game’s long-standing ping issues that fans have been forever complaining about.  

“Your enjoyment of PUBG remains our number one priority,” the post states. “We will continue to put our best effort to improve and maintain the fair play environment, optimize the game and provide you with new content.”

What are you hoping for with the new map? Or would you prefer PUBG Corp to keep focusing on fixing the game’s myriad of technical issues instead? Let us know in the comments; I promise we read them!

The post PUBGs next map is in the works, and its coming sooner than you might think appeared first on Game News.

It can’t always have been easy presiding over an ever-evolving online battle royale game, or a community as vocal and demanding as the PUBG faithful, but Brendan Greene explained to us – from South Korea, where he had a quick break before heading back out on the road to PAX – that he still loves the game he built because it’s what he wanted to play.

GamesRadar+: You just brought the game to Xbox – did it feel like starting over?
Brendan Greene: Honestly, it didn’t feel all that different. We use Unreal Engine and that’s multiplatform, so we were able to get a build of the game up and running on Xbox pretty quickly. The challenge was really getting it running well, so we had an excellent partner in Microsoft. They’ve been sending some of their  best people over here to work with us in the months leading up to the launch last December. And we’re not done yet. We chose Xbox because of the Game Preview program, which allows us to do a similar thing to what we did on PC: develop the game with the community and work on their feedback and getting the game running the way they want.

We saw on PC that using early access was a really great way to work with the community. We get real player feedback. Especially for a multiplayer shooter, we believe it’s really important to build it with the community, and build it with players who’ve been with battle royale since all the way back in ARMA 2. There are really passionate players out there who want to give their feedback. And it’s the same on Xbox. We understand that a shooter on Xbox has to be tuned correctly. You really have to listen to the players and how they want the game to run. So with the Game Preview program, we just saw that it was a great opportunity as the same thing as we had done on PC. 

Are Xbox players any different in the kind of things they want?
No, not really. They want the great battle royale experience. That’s what they all want across every platform, so that’s what we’re committed to delivering. They’ve been really great in giving their feedback on the forums, and our community has been doing tremendous work in terms of filtering that feedback, then getting that into a digestible format for the team here. But I’m really happy with the community – that this is something that they really can be involved in.

How has your day changed from, say, when you were first launching the game on PC to now?
I’ve been doing a lot of traveling. This is the first time I’ve been back in the office since, I would say, nearly September. Even before that, I was on the road quite a bit. I’m lucky to have an amazing team here – all the different department heads, from our art director to our game design lead to the tech director. They all understand the vision. 

We’ve had quite a long time to discuss this here, and it’s great because that’s allowed me to travel, and then do more of the press thing. But now, I’m back here [in South Korea] for a few weeks, so it’s going back to being in the office and working with the team. You know what? As much as I like being on the road, you kind of want to be back here. You want to get your hands dirty, and it’s great to be back. That said, I’m off to PAX South tomorrow. But then I come back. It just never stops.

Did making the change from developing in a small team to travelling and appearing at shows ever feel difficult, or does that just fit with your personality anyway?
No, I’m Irish, I like to talk, but it’s been a bit of an adjustment now that I’m a public figure. It’s almost like, even from day one, when I started like the mod way back in Arma 2, I’ve always been careful to what I say online. It’s just a sensible way to be when you’re online because the internet never forgets. But I really enjoy meeting the fans. I’m comfortable doing that, and I try to get to as many conventions as I can, just so I’m giving some fans the opportunity to meet me, tell me to fix my game, or tell me what they think. And I’ve met so many of them and they’re just super passionate about the game.

What was your ‘oh shit’ moment when you realized, ‘This is going to do really well, this is going to be big – this is a thing now’?
Oh God, I don’t know. It all happened so quickly, from launch to reaching a million copies sold in 16 days. Just seeing the numbers not stopping, like we’re up to three million CCU [concurrent users] at the moment. Insane numbers. That whole last year was really, like since March, for me was a big oh shit moment. It was just one big kind of “Oh my God.” 

We never expected the game to take off the way that it did, and last year we broke seven Guinness world records for what the game achieved, which is just crazy to me. I just wanted to deliver a good game that people enjoyed, and we were thinking of conservatively, “Oh, we’d sell five million in the first year.” Now we’re past something like 26 million [players] on PC; around 30 million across all platforms. It’s been kind of crazy. Yeah, so many, many oh shit moments. 

Do you enjoy watching people streaming the game?
I love it. It’s the best bug-finding tool you can use. It’s a wonderful tool for seeing what streamers and the chat think of your game, and you’re anonymous, so you really hear what they think. And it’s a really valuable tool to find out exactly what the community thinks of new updates or new things we’re trying out. I love watching Twitch. 

The Twitch world was instrumental in getting the battle royale genre off the ground. I’m very thankful to all the content creators across all platforms, because they really help show the game off to a lot more people than we could do with marketing.

Were there any decisions that you made earlier on for PUBG that felt like a risk but really paid off?
Our current CEO, suggested that we put in a revive system, and that’s not something we had in the Arma 3 and H1Z1. I was a little bit skeptical about the revive system. I didn’t really know if we should add it. And I was also very fixed with the game mode I designed and very skeptical about adding stuff to it, just in case that thing would [make the game] lose its appeal. But once we released the [ability to revive] the players loved it. And I happily ate my words.

That was the big one for me. Apart from that, everything for the battle royale game mode has been in planning for me for four years, five years now. All the way through the mod and through H1Z1, I got a chance to really refine and look at what worked and what didn’t work.

Does playing the game feel like work now?
No, not at all. I don’t get a chance to play it all that often, just because I’m on the road so much – but when I finally get back here, I try to get some games in. The problem is, I play one-on-one. I’ll play ten, so it’s not very good for a productive day. [laughs] It just feels like a fresh game every time. The connectivity, the weapons – every game’s going to be different, and that’s why I love playing it, because it challenges me every time. You never know what’s going to happen. And I love playing it, so that’s yeah, I don’t think it will ever get boring for me. 

How does it feel to see so many – and I’ll be very diplomatic here – ‘homages’ to PUBG popping up on different platforms?
I think it’s great stuff. There’s so many homages coming out. I just hope that anyone releasing new battle royale games puts their own spin on this, and tries to come up with something unique, because that’s the way a genre grows. If everyone is just copying everyone else, it just gets boring and it’s the same game that everyone’s releasing. I’m really hoping that we’re going to see some new and interesting spins on the battle royale game mode going forward. 

What is it about either gamers now or the game itself that’s made it such a hit with people?
I honestly think it’s because you start with nothing every time, and it’s a hard game to win. It’s very unforgiving. You make any mistakes and you’ll die – and you start again. It harks back to the old-school games that I grew up with, like Doom. They were really hard, and you spent days if not weeks trying to beat the final bosses.

I think a lot of modern games are starting to lose that. I just want to make a hard game. I want a game that challenges me, and I think that’s what battle royale especially brings to the table: it’s hard to win. I think only one in 6,000 people win on their first attempt. That means you’re twice as likely to get struck by lighting as you are to win your first game. 

That makes me feel a lot better about my first couple of games.
It’s a hard game, and because it’s a different game every time. It’s not predictable. You don’t know where it’s going to end. You don’t know what weapons you’re going to get, so I think that’s the draw – it’s unique every time, it’s different every time, and it’s always a challenge. 

What will PUBG look like in, say, 10 years’ time?
We have a great game design team led by JC. He’s such a smart man, and he’s really detailed in everything he does. He really puts a lot of research into everything. He’s very mindful of the fact that we have millions of people playing the game every day. He has to be very careful about changes that we roll out and changes to systems in the game, because you want to do it gradually so you’re not shocking players and changing everything they know about the game. We also feel that there are areas of the game that need improvement, and we’re not going to be shy about changing them. 

This is a long-term project for us and it’s something that we want to continually upgrade. I keep referring to CS:GO as the kind of model that I look at to emulate. It’s just constantly improving, constantly upgrading, and constantly chewing the game over the coming years and hopefully decades. We really want to support this, and add new content, add new aspects, and just continually upgrade and improve the game. 

What kind of gaming innovation would you like to see that would support PUBG?
Honestly, the first time I saw Magic Leap, I was like, “Oh my God.”It made me think of a battle royale match taking place in your local town, with your friends. You would look down at your hand and you’ve got big ass gun in it. Having that kind of battle royale with your friends on the streets of your town, I think that would be really cool. 

It will also look really weird with people like finger gunning each other around town with weird glasses and all, but that’s the kind of stuff that I think could be very interesting: bringing a battle royale game mode into the AR or mixed reality space. I’m not quite sure if it could quite work in VR, but I was definitely excited when I saw Magic Leap, because I thought, “Ok, this could be really interesting when it comes to playing shooter games like that in real space.”

Where will PUBG need to be before you feel like you can start working on a different project?
I really don’t know what to say. My dream for battle royale has been esports. When I first started this four years ago, I always felt that the battle royale game mode would be great for creating some kind of spectacle within esports. That’s kind of where I’m at at the moment: working with the team here and trying to come up with a good way to move forward on that. It’s going to take time. 

For me, I really think when we see our first PUBG major on the scale of a CS:GO major or something like that, that’s when I’ll think, “Ok, it’s now firmly planted as an esport, and I can think about other things.” I’ve mentioned before that I’d like to do a survival game, but that’s about all I’ve thought about. I really want to get battle royale on Battlegrounds kind of finished – well, not finished, but to a stage where I can say, “Ok, this is what I’ve always dreamt of. This is what I’ve always dreamt for the battle royale game mode.” So right now, that’s where I’m at. 

I have a really firm belief that you shouldn’t rush. That like, yes, another game would be great – but right now, I want to get this one done first, and for me, it’s about delivering a good game. And we’re getting there. We had a pretty good launch, and now, I want to see PUBG built out as a proper platform for a possible esport. 

I feel like the community really wants that happen, and that’s kind of how esports work, right?
We have some absolutely amazing organizations that are using our custom game servers to run weekly and monthly competitions already. There’s massive interest from both the community and pro players, so I’m very optimistic about how we can build this out. But again, it’s going to take time, and it’s not something we want to rush – because if you rush your foundations, you’re going to end up with a really unstable house. So we really want to take the time to make sure that all the tools and the systems we put in place are both competitive and feel good for esports. 

Is there anything you bought as your, “Things are good now, and I’m treating myself to this” moment? Do you have, like, a giant 4K TV? Do you have the most amazing rig?
Honestly, I really don’t buy things for myself. I don’t see the need in buying a flashy car or something like that. I mean, I think the most expensive thing I bought for myself was a bottle of wine. I was in London for some awards, and I went for dinner with a friend at the Goring Hotel. They have a lovely restaurant, and we were getting to the main course, and there was a bottle of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which is a beautiful red wine – but it cost two-and-half thousand. I think that was the most expensive thing I bought, which my brother texted me about after I had said this on a podcast, going “Two-and-a-half grand on a bottle of wine, are you mad?” It was just amazing. 

I think it was definitely worth the money even though many people may disagree, but that’s where I kind of treat myself. I might get a nice bottle of wine now and again, but I’m not an extravagant person. I have a daughter and I have a family, and I want to make sure that they’re looked after first. Me, I don’t care about many things. As long as I’ve got a bed to sleep in, I’m happy. 

What does your family think of your success?
My parents, they understand. They see that I’m successful, but I don’t think they quite get [PUBG]. I don’t think they quite understand about gaming, but they’re both hitting 70 now, so I try to explain. And my dad kind of gets it. He’s pretty tech-savvy, but they’re just happy I’m successful. My daughter, she does get it, and then she asks me questions every now and again. She says “Oh, people in school tell me you’re doing this or doing that.” But she gets it. [My family are] just proud of me, and I’m just happy that I’m able to sort of help them out now that they’re getting on in life. 

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