It turns out that PUBG 2 for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S will be different from PUBG: New State that’s been announced for Android and iOS. According to well known dataminer PlayerIGN (no relation to IGN or IGN India), PUBG: New State is for mobile only. Any news or information regarding PUBG 2 PC and console is something “we’re still waiting for by 2022”.
new state is only for mobile, the pubg 2 thing (pc/console) is someth we’re still waiting for by 2022
— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) February 25, 2021
Earlier this week, Krafton revealed PUBG: New State for Android and iOS. This came after weeks of speculation surrounding the possibility of a new PUBG game. In fact, PlayerIGN had suggested that we would see a PUBG Mobile successor announced during the ongoing PUBG Invitational.S for PC.
PUBG 2 and PUBG: New State Cross-Play and Cross-Progression
Interestingly, Krafton hasn’t stated that PUBG: New State would interact with the PC and console versions of PUBG in any way. The lack of any concrete cross-play or cross-platform announcement suggests that the developer is still working out details. It is possible though, that a PUBG sequel for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S would connect with PUBG: New State in some meaningful way.
That said, while the tech exists to ensure some form of cross-play and progression, we won’t be surprised if the commercial aspect of game development has held it back. In the past, developers have alluded that the revenue split regarding micro-transactions and which platforms they are attributed to have been a major concern particularly with the likes of Sony and Microsoft involved.
“I can only imagine the complexities of those conversations between the two [Sony and Microsoft] and some of those of complexities come in the areas of stuff like purchasable content and if ‘we allow cross-platform play, what does it mean to purchase on one platform and play it on the other.’ So there’s a lot of really complicated issues. It’s not our problem. It’s on the first-party side. There’s a lot of interesting things they need to figure out as first-parties that has nothing to do with us. Once they figure it out we’ll figure out what our plan is,” said long-time WWE 2K series producer Mark Little in an interview regarding the WWE’s issues with bringing cross-platform and cross-play to that franchise.
While PUBG cross-play exists between PC and console versions, PUBG Mobile was its own beast. There are several hurdles. For starters, the price difference for in-app purchases between platforms tends to vast. Mobile gamers in markets like India pay less for in-app purchases like battle passes which tend to be more popular here than any other micro-transaction due to the value offered.
Throw in considerable subsidies from Krafton and Google and there’s at the very least, a Rs. 200 difference versus purchasing the original PUBG battle pass (or royale pass as it’s known) on Android versus PC — roughly Rs. 440 versus Rs. 649. The difference is even more when you take PS4 and Xbox One pricing at Rs. 1,248 and Rs. 824 respectively.
Perhaps Krafton would be able to iron out the details soon enough as well as ensure some form of content parity what with an upcoming IPO that’s largely dependent on the sustained and ongoing success of PUBG.
That said, PUBG 2 isn’t the only new game to look forward to in the PUBG franchise; Dead Space creator Glen Schofield announced that his studio, Striking Distance, is working on a game dubbed The Callisto Protocol, which will be set in the PUBG universe.
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