Update (12/1): It turns out Tencent is bringing not one, but two PUBG-branded games to mobile in China. The first of the two games, dubbed Army Attack, is being developed by Timi Studio and takes a more arcade approach to the genre, while also adding new gameplay features like naval battles.
Tencent made the games, which have become a hit in China, based on a PC game called 'PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' that it bought the rights to last year. Previously unknown, Tencent Games has become famous thanks to PUBG, a game now familiar to thousands of players. Now the legendary shooter is also available on mobile devices and, while it's not so easy to get used to the touch controls, it's still possible to get the hang of them after a few hours of fighting. Download fortnite for android epic games.
PUBG players looking for a more traditional experience on mobile will want to check out the second game, currently only known as Battlefield, which is being helmed by Lightspeed & Quantum Studio. Both games are developed on Unreal Engine 4.
You can watch the trailers for both games below.
Original story (11/27): If you're at all familiar with PC gaming you've no doubt heard of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds – an online Battle Royale-style shooter that has quickly become 2017's breakout gaming hit.
Despite still technically being an unfinished product, the Early Access title has broken concurrent player records on Steam and has sold well over 20 million copies in less than twelve months. That's all before its upcoming Xbox One release next month (and an increasingly likely PS4 launch in 2018).
At this point, the game – mostly known as simply PUBG – has become a bonafide phenomenon that has outsold industry mainstays like Call of Duty. And now it's on its way to mobile… in China.
For a bit of background, back in September, Shenzen-based internet conglomerate Tencent purchased a small stake in PUBG developer Bluehole. It emerged last week that the deal will see PUBG come to China with Tencent holding exclusive rights to the franchise in the region. Excellent gaming headset.
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Now, Tencent has announced that its 'strategic partnership' will also lead to a full-fat PUBG experience on mobile devices. We're assuming that means Android and possibly iOS, but any details on platforms, a release date, and pricing are non-existent at this stage.
In an announcement post (written in Mandarin so I'm dealing with Google Translate here), Tencent promises that PUBG on mobile will retain the 'core gameplay' of the PC release and deliver a genuine Battle Royale experience 'anytime, anywhere on [a] mobile phone.'
It's worth noting that PUBG is already being adapted to fit China's strict regulations on entertainment media, but considering the game's staggering popularity in the country, it likely won't steer too far away from the established formula. Epic games inc fortnite.
It'll be incredibly interesting to see how successfully Tencent can adapt PUBG's survival mechanics and twitchy gunplay to a touchscreen interface. Unfortunately, there's no word on whether an international release could follow.
Nevertheless, it's not all that surprising to see Bluehole and Tencent joining forces to bring the record-breaker to smartphones. After all, dozens of PUBG clones have already flooded the Play Store in recent months, with each cashing-in (and in some cases outright copying) the game's basic structure and design.
Several of these clones have amassed millions of downloads, so there's clearly a market out there for an official version.
What do you think of the prospect of PUBG on mobile? Could duking it out for Chicken Dinners ever be as fun on a smartphone screen? Let us know in the comments.
The world's current most popular game, PlayerUnknown's Battleground (PUBG), is to be approved for release in China after 'strategic cooperation' between Tencent and the game's Korean developer PUBG Corporation, Tencent Games announced on Sina Weibo. The deal will give Tencent exclusive rights to the game in China.
In late October, China's media regulators announced that the multiplayer PUBG was unlikely to receive a publishing license in China (in Chinese). The State Administration of Press, Publication, Radio, Film, and Television (SAPPRFT), is that the game is too bloody and violent.
According to Tencent's Weibo announcement, Tencent's senior vice president Ma Xiaoyi said that Tencent will provide the best localized operational support for the game and will work to improve the player experience, for example by expanding server capacity. Tencent will also cooperate with PUBG Corporation to 'work with all live-broadcasting, media and online partners to create a fair, healthy and sustainable ecosystem' for the game.
The statement claimed:
'As an enterprise with a sense of social responsibility, as well as ensuring game play experience, Tencent will at the same time insist on providing gaming content that transmits a sense of educational guidance to users. For players who are minors there will be a particular focus on transmitting healthy cultural concepts and values.'
Tencent made further pledges to socialist values in the statement. SARFT's late October announcement had been quite clear on such areas: 'Similar to ancient Rome's gladiator battles, [PUBG] severely deviates from China's core socialist values, as well as Chinese traditions and morality, thus leaving a negative impact on the mind-body health of teenage consumers'.
Even without a publisher, China had been the game's biggest market making up over 40% of its player base. Players here had complained about server lag impairing gameplay. PUBG takes its inspiration from the cult film Battle Royale and parachutes up to 100 players onto a deserted island where they have to find weapons to fight for survival.
TechNode has reached out to Tencent for comment and will update when we get a response.
Battle Royale Game Playerunknown's Battlegrounds
–This article originally appeared on TechNode.
