PUBG Gained Popularity after Going FTP

One of the most popular Battle Royale games, PUBG, has gone free in 2022. Now it’s time to check the results, and they are as great as expected: the publisher, Krafton, can now share some insights about how the game performed after that. In short, it performed more than successfully in terms of both the player base and the revenue.

Since January 22, the day the game went free-to-play, the average daily growth (as Krafton reports) is as many as 80,000 players. The company does not provide any precise data about the revenue – and why should it give it to anyone except for the Korean tax service? Yet Krafton reveals that the ARPU has also grown by more than 20%, regardless of the platform. And most of that revenue (94%) came from outside South Korea.

It’s an obvious thing to suppose that, once something paid goes free, it gains a larger userbase. Given controversies around microtransactions that often happen in Battle Royale games, though, it’s not always the case. PUBG, as we see, managed to go free-to-play without offending those who have paid for it, offering them a premium subscription instead.

The press release also mentions that PUBG Mobile (also known as The New State) has also been growing in all the meanings during Q2 2022. Along with these two games that are currently available, the Korean publisher mentions some new titles that may arrive in the nearest future. The company enters the uncharted waters with its upcoming horror The Calisto Protocol. As for another upcoming title, The Bird That Drinks Tears, its name is also rather gloomy, and the game itself (just like the novel series it’s based upon) will be heavily inhabited with traditional Korean mystical creatures.

Are you one of those who joined the ranks of PUBG fans after it had gone free? If so, did you buy any cosmetics or accessories there? Are you enjoying it? Share your impressions with us in the comments!