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Tencent And Bluehole Are Developing A Mobile Version Of PUBG

The mobile version of the hit game is being developed specifically for Chinese territories.

Kevin Tucker

November 28, 2017 1:20 PM

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Following the game's immediate and largely-unexpected success, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds has not only broken several records over on Steam and sold in excess of 20 million copies, it's also managed to spawn a number of deritive and straight-up knockoff titles. Chief among the latter is the PUBG-styled mobile game Guns Royale, which presents battle royale-themed gameplay with a sort of blocky, pixellated veneer. Fun as the game looks, though, it's merely an off-brand product; Chinese PUBG fans are soon to get the name-brand version, as Tencent and publisher Bluehole are working on a brand-new edition of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds that's being rebuilt especially for mobile devices.

At this point in development, details are slim: thanks to a Chinese-language press release, we know that the project is a joint effort between the two companies and that the goal is to release PUBG Mobile in "the near future." Aside from that, we also know that the game will have mobile-optimized controls and mobile-oriented servers, in addition to special social networking features and various mobile-exclusive competitions.

Will the PUBG style of gameplay work on mobile devices? It's hard to say. For right now, PUBG is a fan favorite among the PC gaming elite primarily because that's the only way to play the game until Bluehole releases the Xbox One version on December 12. There have been somewhat successful mobile shooters in the past, though none so far have managed to blend battle royale elements into the gameplay, so it'll certainly be interesting to see how well PUBG Mobile fares. Assuming it finds even a quarter of the success the PC version has had, it's safe to say that the game will break free from its Chinese-territory bonds and bring that delicious chicken dinner to mobile players across the world.

Kevin Tucker

Guides Editor

Kevin Tucker is a core component of Shacknews' powerful guide development team. For questions, concerns, tips, or to share constructive criticism, he can be reached on Twitter @dukeofgnar or through e-mail at kevin.tucker@shacknews.com.