PlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds, the game that kicked off the current battle royale craze at the top of the games industry, has recently undergone a name change. The game’s name has been changed toPUBG: Battlegrounds, which, as many have pointed out, feels pretty redundant. It seems laughable that the grandfather of all battle royale shooters would now go byPlayerUnknown’s BattleGrounds: Battlegrounds. As it turns out, there is a good reason as to why the developer chose to change its name, but that doesn’t make its new title any less goofy sounding for the uninformed.
WhilePUBG: Battlegroundsused to be at the very top of the battle royale genre, it’s fallen off in recent years in favor offree-to-play battle royales likeFortnite,Apex Legends, andCall of Duty: Warzone. While it certainly has a steady fanbase, it isn’t front and center of the genre anymore. All that might be changing soon, however, as the PUBG Corporation and Krafton seek to expand thePUBGbrand.
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‘PUBG: Battlegrounds’ Name Change Explained
The expansion of thePUBGbrand is the true reason forthe additional “Battlegrounds” subtitle that’s been added toPUBG. Soon, with the addition of multiple properties that span different media, “PUBG” will no longer just refer to the battle royale shooter. Instead, it’s becoming the name for the franchise and the name “Battlegrounds” will refer to the battle royale. While it may be initially confusing, it’s likely that, colloquially, fans will continue referring to the battle royale asPUBG, with the new “Battlegrounds” subtitle reserved for official press releases and media clarity.
Expanding the PUBG Universe
Recent announcements from the PUBG Corporation and Krafton detail exactly how thePUBGuniverse is going to expand. Back when it was announced during The Game Awards 2020, fans ofThe Callisto Protocolscratched their heads when the game’s directorGlen Schofield said it would be set in thePUBGuniverse. At that point, thePUBGuniverse consisted solely ofPUBG, but with the recent announcements ofPUBG: New Stateand the untitledPUBGanimated series, the fictional universe is beginning to grow. It’s still unclear exactly what sort of connectionsThe Callisto Protocolwill have to the expandingPUBGuniverse, but hopefully, as morePUBGmedia releases in the coming months, that will be clarified.
PUBG: New Stateis coming exclusively to mobile devices, set for release later this year. It’s unclear how muchNew Statewill differ from the vanillaBattlegrounds, but it seems to be different enough that the PUBG Corporation views it as a separate game. There’s no word on if there are any plans to bring the game to consoles and PC, but the game seems like the next step for those looking to get more invested in the newly expandingPUBGuniverse.
In addition toPUBG: New StateandThe Callisto Protocol,an animated adaptation forPUBGis in the works with Adi Shankar. Among other things, Shankar was the executive producer and showrunner for the NetflixCastlevaniaseries that recently aired its final episode. While reported to still be in the very early stages of its development, the show will hopefully expand on the limited lore that’s already been established byPUBG: Battlegrounds. There’s still no official title for the project yet, however, it’s likely to follow the naming conventions set byBattlegroundsandNew State, meaning that it will likely have the “PUBG"prefix.
PUBG: Battlegroundsis available now on Mobile, PC, PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One.
