How PUBG (PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds) became popular?

 

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is a multiplayer online battle royale game developed and published by PUBG Corporation, a subsidiary of Korean publisher Bluehole. It became the most popular online game in 2017, active users already reached 20million.

The game model is very simple: “up to one hundred players parachute onto an island and scavenge for weapons and equipment to kill others while avoiding getting killed themselves. The available safe area of the game’s map decreases in size over time, directing surviving players into tighter areas to force encounters. The last player or team standing wins the round.” (Wiki,2017)

So how this simple game model became popular in a short time? From my opinion, it can be divided into three different parts:

1. This game model combines all the popular factors from other popular game. First, it is an FPS game same as CS, COD. And the game’s map is big enough to allow gamers to choose different game strategies, same as GTA. Also, it has team competition just like DOTA and LOL. Basically, it maintains its special places but contains all the advantages from others.
2. It successfully gets in the online live streaming traffic. In the online live streaming platforms such as Twitch, Douyu. The most viewer traffic game is PUBG, over 10 million people look at those streaming day to night, which creates a communication environment.
3. PUGB can contain 100 players in a single match which is far beyond other game. The winner can enjoy the fun of the game easily.

This new game developed a brand-new game model. For now, many game-developers decided to join this new model. It indeed created a new market, even a business chain. I think PUBG will meet more and more competitions. Keep innovation and maintenance will help PUBG keep their market share.