New State (fictional island territory)

Lore & Background

The game's concept and design was led by Brendan Greene, better known by his online handle PlayerUnknown, who had previously created a mod for ARMA 2 called DayZ: Battle Royale, inspired by the 2000 Japanese film Battle Royale. The game is based on mods created by Greene and was developed under his creative direction.

Reader's Guide

Each match starts with up to one hundred players parachuting from a plane onto one of the eight maps. Players start with no gear beyond customized clothing selections which do not affect gameplay. Once they land, players can search buildings, ghost towns and other sites to find weapons, vehicles, armor, and other equipment. The playable area of the map shrinks over time, with any player caught outside taking damage. A plane will occasionally drop a loot package containing items typically unobtainable during normal gameplay. On average, a full round takes no more than 30 minutes.

Did You Know?

• The game was first released for Windows via Steam's early access beta program in March 2017, with a full release in December 2017.
• The game was renamed PUBG: Battlegrounds in 2021 and has been free-to-play for all platforms since January 2022.
• It has accumulated $13 billion in worldwide revenue, including from its mobile version, making it one of the highest-grossing video games of all time.
• The game received several Game of the Year nominations and set seven Guinness World Records.