Despite a ton of (better) competition in the battle royale genre, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is still somehow hanging in there. What’s crazier, it’s been hanging in there as a “paid” game this whole time! Well, that’ll be changing come January. After all these years, PUBG is finally going free-to-play (F2P).

To be completely honest, I thought that PUBG was already free to play. The game has had a cash shop and loot boxes since the beginning, so it’s kind of crazy to me that they are charging an entry fee on top of that. It’s even more crazy considering that PUBG has been plagued with all manner or technical problems for the entirety of its existence. Yet, people still bought it for some reason.

Anyway, PUBG will officially be F2P as of January 12, and it will be introducing a premium account service called “BATTLEGROUNDS Plus.” For a one-time fee of $12.99, account holders can get the following:

• 1,300 G-Coin
• A 100% XP boost
• Career – Medal tab in the menus
• Ranked Mode
• Custom Matches
• Exclusive in-game items

Those that bought PUBG previously will be getting a free upgrade to this kind of account, and they’ll receive the “PUBG – Special Commemorative Pack,” which includes a player skin, nameplate and a special version of the frying pan. Perhaps this is exciting for PUBG fans, but I wonder if it’ll really do anything to bring in anyone who isn’t already playing. The game’s been out for several years after all.

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What do you think of this? Will it pump-up PUBG’s numbers or is it a move designed to accomplish something else?

Image from the Steam Store page