PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds Coming To Xbox One On December 12

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PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has been available on Steam since March, and was due to release on the Xbox One. Microsoft announced the game during its E3 2017 press conference, but gave no release date at that time. Now, we have a definite Xbox release date for the game that is popularly known as PUBG.

Keeping the experience the same

Starting December 12, the game will be available as part of Microsoft’s early preview program. Han Kim, CEO of the PUBG Group said, “We’re approaching development on Xbox One with the same community-driven focus that we’ve taken with the game on PC.” As a result the fans will find a slight difference between the game they play on the PC and the one that will be available on Xbox One, Kim said in a post on the Xbox website.

Both the PC and Console version would be up for regular updates because makers of the PUBG game want the feel of the game to remain the same on different platforms. “We want to unify them eventually, we want to give the same experience across both platforms,” creator Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene told Mashable. The developer, Bluehole, plans to release the 1.0 PC version in late December.

Players who chose to play the game on their Xbox One will also be able to buy some exclusive content such as special cosmetic packs. Three such packs are available for the Xbox One version: the PUBG warrior pack, tracksuit pack and Accessory pack. For now, developer Bluehole would not offer any in-game purchases in the Xbox Game Preview version.

For now, PUBG is releasing as Xbox exclusive, which means there would be no parallel launch on any other console. However, in future the title maker could consider releasing the game on other consoles including the PS4. When creator Greene was asked the same question, he told Engadget “No, not at all,” adding that at present the team is working on getting the game right on the Xbox One.

PUBG game – a few concerns remain

The PUBG game can be played by up to 100 people, who parachute onto an island and loot weapons, armor and various other in-game items. Thereafter, it becomes a battle of survival. On Steam, the game has sold over 8 million copies,running out Dota to become the most played game in August with over 800,000 players at the same time. And, last month, the title achieved over a million consecutive players.

Despite the early success, Bluehole has its concerns because of the similarity between PUBG and Epic games’ Fortnite title. Fortnite was launched in July as a sandbox survival game, but it also launched the battle royale mode for the same. Bluehole notes that Epic is referencing the PUBG during their promotion and communication with the media, according to The Verge.

Some negative news for PUBG fans is that China is unlikely to grant a license for the game. In a statement, the Chinese gaming association said that PlayerUnknown’s Battleground is too bloody and violent for sale in their country. According to the Audio-Video and Digital Publishing association, PUBG would be harmful for young consumers, notes Bloomberg.

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