The developer of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has confirmed that the game name has been changed after the title was updated on Steam. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, also known as PUBG, is one of the biggest names in its genre, but the new title of the iconic battle royale is the somewhat confusing "PUBG: Battlegrounds," making the new full game name "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds."
PUBG is recognized as being one of the games that helped make the battle royale genre what it is today, inspiring and influencing countless other BR games since its launch in 2017. Developed and published by Krafton, the game pits 100 players against each other in a fast-paced shooter with the aim of surviving. Despite stiff competition from other big names in the genre, PUBG has retained a solid playerbase, though its numbers have dropped over the years.
Earlier this summer, the game's Steam title was quietly updated from "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" to "PUBG: Battlegrounds." While noticed by the community, Krafton didn't announce the name change formally, leaving many to wonder just what was going on. A PR representative at Krafton has now confirmed to PCGamer that the game's name has indeed changed, and it's part of a rebrand as the company makes way for the release of PUBG: New State. The representative told the publication:
"Krafton is actively expanding the PUBG brand through a variety of new experiences set in its universe. Rebranding PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to PUBG: Battlegrounds is the first step in us realizing this vision. Additional titles in the franchise will carry the PUBG name, as you see with our upcoming game, PUBG: New State."
While a rebrand to highlight the different releases under the same PUBG umbrella makes sense, the name change itself doesn't. When used in full, the new PUBG name isn't just a mouthful, it's also repetitive. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds makes little sense as a whole, and seems to suggest Krafton aims for the "PUBG" part of each game title, such as PUBG: New State mentioned in the PR response, to be secondary to the individual game names. The change could mean the main PUBG game will simply be referred to as "Battlegrounds" as the series evolves and grows.
Whether or not players will refer to the iconic shooter as "Battlegrounds" after calling it "PUBG" since launch remains to be seen, but that appears to be what Krafton is aiming for. PUBG may still have a thriving player base, but it competes with some of the biggest shooters on the market, such as Call of Duty: Warzone and Fortnite. The game's mixed Steam reviews are evidence that the title isn't providing what its fans want, and the name change could be indicative of the rebrand aiming to reassert PUBG's position in the market. Recent leaks have claimed PUBG will go free-to-play in the future, which could mean the name change is just the beginning of a PUBG: Battlegrounds overhaul.
Source: PCGamer
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