KRAFTON, Inc. has revealed the major milestones achieved over the seven years of its popular game, PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (hereinafter referred to as PUBG), in celebration of its seventh anniversary.
Available in over 240 countries and regions, PUBG first debuted on Steam Early Access on March 23, 2017, sparking a global trend in the battle royale genre. After release, it set a new record for concurrent players on Steam with a peak of 3.25 million and has consistently ranked Platinum in both best-selling and most-played games on Steam for seven consecutive years, demonstrating its enduring popularity.
PUBG has expanded across platforms and services, implementing regional strategies to attract new users and sustain growth. It is available on Steam, Epic Games, Kakao Games, PlayStation, Xbox, and mobile platforms. In 2022, the game went free-to-play, lowering the barrier to entry and enhancing accessibility. As of February, it had amassed a staggering 181.6 million registered accounts, with total playtime exceeding 217.9 billion hours. Additionally, in November last year, PUBG achieved cumulative sales of over 4 trillion Korean won in the PC and console categories, capitalizing on its strong momentum.
Recently, PUBG has experienced a new surge in popularity due to various updates and well-received content. Following the introduction of the new map “Runic Power” in December, user logins significantly increased, with daily concurrent players on Steam reaching 620,000. On March 13, 2024, PUBG released an update commemorating its seventh anniversary, presenting players with a myriad of events and rewards that have been met with enthusiasm. Since the seven-year update, the game has seen its concurrent player count on Steam peak at 700,000 during weekends, maintaining its heat.
PUBG has also offered unique entertainment experiences through collaborations with global brands. Over the past seven years, the game has partnered with more than 20 renowned global IP from gaming, automotive, sports, celebrities, and characters. This year, it plans to announce even larger-scale collaborations, following partnerships with Aston Martin, KFC, and BLACKPINK, among others.
TAEHYUN KIM, Head of PUBG IP Division, said, “We are grateful for the passion and support from our players that have led us to this 7th anniversary. We will strive to provide more diverse and fresh gaming experiences for the true stars of this milestone – our players.”
For more information about PUBG, visit the official website (https://pubg.com/zh-cn).