On March 15, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) by Tencent Gaming, celebrated the second anniversary of the mobile version of the popular battle royale video game. On Mach 23, PUBG, which was initially released in 2017, turned three-years-old.
“PUBG has come a long way since March of 2017 and we fully understand that there is still much to do, but it is because of all of you that we’ve been able to take our little game and grow it into one of the biggest games of all time,” said the PUBG Team in a recent blog post. “We know an achievement like this comes with a big responsibility to you all, and we’re working hard this year to do better.”
PUBG wanted to do something special to celebrate its third anniversary by offering players several free skins. When players log into the PC or console, they’ll find a special “3rd Anniversary Box” birthday gift.
The anniversary box includes a parachute skin, an M416 skin, and a specialized hoodie. The box is available (via the Utility > Crate tab) starting now through April 23 on PC and April 25 on consoles like Xbox.
For PUBG Mobile users, they released a special Second Anniversary update. Season 12 of PUBG mobile includes a festival vibe with random amusement parks and birthday cakes scattered throughout Erangel.
COVID-19 Gaming Boom
Because of the recent coronavirus-related shutdowns, both PUBG and PUBG Mobile have seen an uptick in users. PUBG recently broke its own record with 22 million concurrent users over the weekend.
“Steam just achieved a new peak concurrent user record of 22 million, one day after reaching 21 million, and six days after reaching 20 million,” tweeted gaming analyst Daniel Ahmad. “Global lockdowns and self-isolation due to COVID-19 has led to at-home gaming becoming a safe form of entertainment to pass the time.”
PUBG Mobile also broke records over the weekend, reaching 600 million downloads. Tencent claims the number doesn’t include China. PUBG Mobile averages 50 million daily users (once again, not including China).
In the recent second-anniversary update, PUBG Mobile decided upon the “2gether We Play” motto months before the coronavirus pandemic shut down the globe. More than ever, friends and family are riding out their quarantines by playing video games with one another.
Steam just achieved a new peak concurrent user record of 22 million, one day after reaching 21 million and six days after reaching 20 million.
Global lockdowns and self isolation due to COVID-19 has led to at home gaming becoming a safe form of entertainment to pass the time. pic.twitter.com/6lhNFCawKD
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) March 21, 2020
Vikendi Map Overhaul
Tencent promised to haul and tweak all of its maps. PUBG recently released a fifth map called Karakin. PUBG Mobile players are eagerly awaiting the release of a fifth map, which should come online this summer
“While there was plenty new, we saw 2019 as a year of building a foundation for PUBG,” Tencent said in a blog post. “Going forward, we want to continue to improve upon what’s made PUBG so popular these last 3 years. This will include map reworks, new maps, new weapons and mechanics, additional game options such as Arcade’s Team Deathmatch, and of course, quality of life improvements & bug fixes for some of your most pressing issues.”
Vikendi tops the list of reworked maps. Vikendi, the fourth map, features snow and ice over a 6 km by 6 km map. It’s not as big as the 8 km v 8 km behemoths like Erangel or Miramar, but it’s still bigger than the compact 4 km x 4km map at Sanhok.
The new Vikendi will include a spring-version of the game that includes a significant amount of snow-melt. For winter fans, snow will still appear in the game, but only in the highest elevations.
Vikendi also includes a train. Yes, a couple of trains will crisscross the map and players can jump aboard to escape red zones and the dreaded blue circle.
The Dino Park also received a facelift. Make sure to visit the new amusement area. Even the dinosaur museum space got upgraded.
