PUBG: Battlegrounds has gained 80,000 new players every day since switching to a free-to-play model, according to a new financial report released by its parent company Krafton.
Back in January this year, Player Unknown’s Battlegrounds changed its name to PUBG: Battlegrounds before switching to a free-to-play model. This appears to have attracted an impressive swell of new players to the battle royale title, with 80,000 new daily players (via Eurogamer).
The report covers financial earnings for the year so far. Net profits in Q2 hit a 37.26 per cent increase year on year, the highest half-year net profit the company has recorded to date. For PUBG: Battlegrounds, average revenue per user (ARPU) across all platforms increased more than 20 per cent quarter on quarter. International markets (outside South Korea) drove 94 per cent of the game’s revenue during Q2 2022.
Krafton attributes some of this success to PUBG: Battlegrounds, but also notes that PUBG Mobile continues to go from strength to strength sales wise. It reports that PUBG Mobile currently ranks second in sales among global mobile games.
Looking ahead, Krafton notes that upcoming games The Callisto Protocol and Unknown Worlds‘ new IP will get showings at Gamescom 2022. The new IP from the Subnautica devs will be revealed at the event, and is said to be “set in a sci-fi world that features imaginative turn-based gameplay.” The Callisto Protocol will also get a new showing, before it releases on December 3, 2022.
In other gaming news, Yooka-Laylee developer and game publisher Playtonic is warning players about a scam going around related to one of its upcoming titles. Some players have reported being offered beta access for Lil Gator Game. The studio has stressed that this is a scam, and that players should be cautious moving forward.