Is PUBG Dying? – Important question on a repetitive cycle

PUBG kickstarted the current Battle Royale trend which has defined free-to-play shooters over the last few years. Without PUBG, there probably wouldn’t be a huge following for Fortnite or Warzone. But the game itself hasn’t quite fared as well as those it’s inspired. It isn’t controversial to say that the hype has down died around PUBG in the years since release. How much has the hype died down though, and would it be fair to ask is PUBG dying?

PUBG’s player numbers definitely don’t add up to the same totals as Warzone and other Battle Royale. There are some reasons for this though outside of falling interest, like the game not being free to play. PUBG might not make huge headlines, but it would be wrong to say that PUBG mobile is dying. The game itself is even presenting many updates that completely innovate on how Battle Royales work, so is there more to PUBG than appears right now?

Is PUBG Dying?

When asking if a game is dying, you need to think about what determines if a game is still alive. The same questions (is Fortnite dying) are asked for most Battle Royale titles.

The best way to measure is player numbers. A Battle Royale needs a lot of players in each lobby to go well, if it fails to get enough players, you’re stuck waiting a long time to play or playing with bots. This is even worse when you consider matchmaking that has to deal with the PUBG ranking system. How does PUBG compare here and is PUBG dying in player numbers? It has been struggling.

PUBG’s peak saw players reach as high as 3,236,027. However, by June 2020 the highest point for the player count had dipped down to 230,329. This was a pretty big drop-off and one that can probably be accounted for by the rise in popularity from similar games.

Where exactly is PUBG’s player count at now? It is difficult to say for certain. Games rarely release their player counts when it’s dropping, instead just telling the public about the highs. If the number of bots is anything to go off, PUBG’s player base is likely lower than this right now. You can still expect about 200k players active at all times. Do take into account this is divided among multiple regions and queue types, so the number in your area may roughly be a few thousand at best.

It is difficult to say is PUBG dying from this alone, since the game is regularly updated. Not everything is about player count If you consider a game’s death as when support significantly slows or stops, then PUBG is still very much alive. New content arrives often. Some of these new features are impressively innovative for a Battle Royale, like a map that changes around every game. PUBG kick-started the Battle Royale trend, and in many ways, it is still the one leading the pack in terms of innovation.

The best PUBG players are still signed to their teams, and new organizations are joining the competitive scene for this game. This hints that esports orgs are confident the title is not just going to roll over and die anytime soon. If the recent PGI.S gives any hints, it’s that PUBG is well intent on financing the esports scene and keeping the game alive. Player numbers are cyclical and once PUBG brings the game into a more favorable state, you can expect a huge amount of the original players to return to the title and give it yet another chance.

Is PUBG Mobile Dying?

While it is tricky to answer is PUBG dying, is PUBG mobile dying is a bit easier to answer. PUBG Mobile is still very much alive and has a big and active player base. PUBG mobile even boasts more competitive events and is the bigger topic for PUBG betting. The game has seen some big swings in player numbers, mainly from being banned in some territories. However, the game itself is pretty healthy and could even be considered a bigger success than the mobile versions of quite a few other Royales who have long since outpaced PUBG on PC.

PUBG Mobile is even getting an upgrade with PUBG New State, meaning the developers are well aware that mobile is the next big thing for this title. The games is not just alive and well, but also growing and expanding markets almost monthly.

Is PUBG Lite Dying?

The last version of PUBG released is a much simpler topic. There is a clear answer to is PUBG Lite dying? Yeah, it is already dead. PUBG Lite is shutting down and won’t be available to play in the future. This was a fun experiment but ultimately it didn’t catch on.

While PUBG has declining player numbers, there is still a lot of new content coming to the game regularly. It is possible for the title to bounce back from this dip. With their current commitment to interesting gameplay and feature updates, it’s possible that players return to PUBG in the future. [external_footer]