PUBG: Battlegrounds Reveals 2024 Roadmap

Ricky Frech

03/11/2024 04:18 pm EDT

PUBG: Battlegrounds remains one of the most-played games on Steam and other platforms despite just celebrating its seventh anniversary. The groundbreaking battle royale ushered the genre into the mainstream and the developers at PUBG Studios continue to integrate the base game to keep it fresh for veteran players. To that end, the team announced the 2024 roadmap earlier today, giving players a look at what's coming to PUBG: Battlegrounds later this year. One of the biggest reveals is that the battle royale is getting destructible map environments, letting players "strategically destroy sections of buildings" to create new ways to approach firefights.

PUBG is also working on a new team vs. team system, which it says "cranks up the tension from the get-go." Players will have new objectives to complete in their quest to claim victory for their squad. There are also several upcoming crossover promotions coming. The developers didn't give many details beyond that but did say that "two highly sought-after vehicle IPs" are coming in 2024. Beyond that, the team continues to work to improve its matchmaking system, anti-cheat, and is adding some new wrinkles to ranked play.

Below, you'll find the full 2024 roadmap. PUBG: Battlegrounds is available now on PlayStation, Xbox, mobile, and PC platforms.

PUBG: Battlegrounds 2024 Roadmap

Vibrant Gameplay

Destructible Map Environments

Introducing Various In-Game Interaction Features

By providing players the ability to strategically destroy sections of buildings, we unlock the possibility for them to carve out new attack routes or construct defensive barriers. This feature hopes to go beyond mere environmental destruction, infusing the game with an enriched layer of strategy and tactics.
Such 'destruction' elements are expected to add dynamism to the game and create unpredictable situations, necessitating players to change their strategies flexibly according to circumstances.
Discussions on the 'environmental destruction' feature are currently ongoing, and we plan to introduce some of these features in the upcoming April update, with continuous improvements and expansions to follow.

World

Crafting Fresh, Vibrant Experiences Within Existing Worlds

Our objective for the year ahead is to reimagine existing worlds, offering novel experiences.
We'll be fashioning environments akin to the 7th Anniversary Erangel, which is set to launch on March 13. These worlds will maintain their core gameplay while incorporating features or objects that are specific to the season, collaboration, or mode, encouraging player interaction within these worlds.

Gunplay

Empowering Non-mainstream Weapons and Driving Meta Shift

While upholding the prominence of mainstream weapons such as ARs and DMRs, we're also focused on enhancing the usability of less favored weapons to bolster their impact. Gunplay updates will be rolled out every two months, allowing for more frequent adjustments to address balance issues swiftly and foster a stable gunplay ecosystem. Our aim for the 2024 gunplay update is to introduce fresh possibilities and reshape the meta by offering greater diversity of choice.

Gunplay Labs

In order to allow players to test and offer feedback on the gunplay balance adjustments under consideration, we're introducing the gunplay balance changes in the Arcade initially rather than implementing them in Normal Match and Ranked right away. Given the pivotal role of gunplay in the game, the Gunplay Labs in the Arcade will play a crucial role by allowing players to experience upcoming gunplay updates firsthand.
With the upcoming 28.2 update, the SMG Rebalance will be immediately available in the Arcade. Following this, we intend to utilize the Gunplay Labs to analyze gameplay logs and consider your feedback before implementing the SMG Rebalance in June.

Updates Based on Understanding and Communication

We'll maintain close communication to ensure that we're also aligning with the community's desires for gunplay balance changes. Upcoming buffs to the SCAR-L and AKM, as well as nerfs to powerful weapons as requested, are currently part of our plans. We promise to share our development process and rationale for these updates with transparency.

New Team vs. Team System

Dive into new rivalry where the adrenaline rush of challenges, the sweet taste of fresh achievements, and the euphoria of back-to-back wins await! A new gameplay system that cranks up the tension from the get-go is set to be introduced.
Work with your teammates to compete against the opposing team in scoring, monitor the changing scores in real-time, and seize the opportunity to establish a streak of team victories while earning various rewards. This system will allow selective participation, enabling only those teams that wish to participate.
Beyond the satisfaction of a chicken dinner, this system introduces new objectives to provide players with fresh challenges, preparing a gameplay environment where both luck and skill play crucial roles.

Survival Items, Character Actions, and Various Modes

We're thoughtfully focusing on enhancing the survival aspect of gameplay by adding items that facilitate transportation and looting over those with direct combat effects, in alignment with the essence of the battle royale genre. A variety of support items, like the Repair Kit, will be available as world spawn items.
We recognize your desire for a wider variety of character actions, highlighted by features such as vehicle vaulting and Utility Parachutes. Building on the momentum of introducing action elements like vehicle vaulting and co-op climbing in our February update, we're excited to be developing even more content centered around dynamic actions. Additionally, we're exploring the intriguing possibility of making portable Ziplines, a concept we believe could add a captivating layer to gameplay, especially with well-thought-out limitations.
For players looking for a lighter gaming experience beyond the high stakes of battle royale, we're committed to refining and expanding our special modes. The PvE mode 'Survivors Left Behind,' unveiled last Halloween, was warmly received for its role in diminishing the PvP's oft-felt frustration. Our goal is to continually enhance this mode, offering regular quarterly updates to cement its place as a staple alongside Team Deathmatch and Intense Battle Royale. We're also thrilled to announce the eagerly awaited return of Fantasy Battle Royale.

Collaborations and Skins

We've prepared a series of new moments designed to make your experience more vibrant and unique! Anticipate the excitement of engaging with two highly sought-after vehicle IPs and immerse yourself in a diverse array of captivating collaborations that await you.

Progressive Weapon Skin System

In our dedication to fostering a positive player experience, we plan to introduce Progressive Skins for various weapons that reflect your preferences, and we'll be expanding the options over time. Additionally, building upon the overwhelming interest you showed in 2023, we're preparing a rich Black Market experience for the year ahead.

Enhancing Live Service

Matchmaking

Normal Match MMR (Matchmaking Rating) System

In 2024, our goal is to enact numerous adjustments to foster a more balanced matchmaking environment. While various factors contribute to matchmaking–such as connection stability, queue duration, skill level, and region of access–we prioritize delivering a stable and enjoyable experience and pairing players of comparable skill levels.
MMR serves as an internal metric for matchmaking in Normal Match, aiming to establish a level playing field for players of similar skill levels. (Ranked matchmaking, conversely, is based on RP, not MMR.) We view MMR as an ongoing area for refinement within our live service, and in our commitment to cultivating an enriched matchmaking environment, we are dedicated to enhancing our MMR system to facilitate skill-based matchmaking.

Map Rotation

We're phasing in a map rotation service that takes into account regional map preferences. While understanding the significance of fair and swift matchmaking, we also believe it's crucial to accommodate player preferences and choices regarding maps. Recognizing the substantial impact of personal map preferences on individual experiences, we'll continue to analyze metrics and actively engage with players throughout 2024 to ensure we meet the needs of as many players as possible.
We're also exploring various methods to improve matchmaking in regions where it could be smoother. For the rest of the year, we'll be communicating more closely with these regions.

Bot Refinement

We want to ensure engaging with bots in Normal Match becomes an immersive and meaningful experience. Therefore, we're committed to refining their behavior patterns to resemble natural behavior and generate diverse scenarios tailored to players of varying skill levels. Imagine bots maneuvering through the smoke to assist teammates or executing your favorite strafing techniques; these enhancements aim to bring added excitement to your gameplay encounters.
Nevertheless, we do not intend to overly challenge the gameplay or discourage inexperienced players from adapting to the game. Considering that bots are an established and intricate system, we're proceeding cautiously, prioritizing thoroughness over hasty updates.

Ranked

Linking Normal Match – Ranked – Esports

We'll be introducing the new map Rondo and an array of items to add variety to the Ranked and Esports scenes. Rondo will join the Ranked map pool in April, with plans to introduce it to Esports later in the year. We hope to immerse players in the world of Battlegrounds, bridging the gap between the game you play and the game you watch.

Rewards

In order to make Ranked more appealing, we intend to offer new tiered rewards and exclusive rewards obtainable solely through Ranked play. We're committed to exploring avenues that enable players of all skill levels to establish personal goals and reap rewards through consistent Ranked play.

Rank Point (RP)

We aim to refine the tiers to reflect skill levels more accurately. In calculating Rank Points, kills will carry more weight than before, enabling players to compete against others of comparable skill levels and take more pride in their Ranked tiers. We'll be piloting these changes in April to gather player feedback.

Test Server

We will not be maintaining a dedicated Test Server this year.
Our Test Servers were geared towards ensuring stability and gathering valuable player insights. However, the necessity for separate installations and updates made it challenging for many to access.
To address this, we're including a testing environment directly into our live servers. This move will make it straightforward for every player to engage with and evaluate new content. Starting with the March update, players will be able to firsthand experience and assess modifications to SMGs in the Arcade, directly within the live servers.

Recall System and QoL

The recall system will be implemented across all 8x8 maps, while Comeback BRs will be removed. We'll continue refining the recall system and seek to enhance other features that are currently underutilized or inconvenient.

Clan

Content Enhancement

The Clan system has flourished since its introduction, earning affection and engagement from our community. Yet, we've attentively listened to feedback highlighting a desire for more engaging activities.
With your invaluable insights in mind, we'll be unveiling exclusive missions tailored for Clans, alongside a specialized exchange shop where the vibrancy of Clan activities can be rewarded with unique items.

Content Expansion for the Future

As we embark on the exciting journey of transitioning PUBG to Unreal Engine 5, we're simultaneously laying the groundwork for a User Generated Content (UGC) service. This ambitious initiative aims to empower our players with the tools to craft and engage with their own content, fostering a vibrant, creator-driven ecosystem. By strategically channeling our development efforts into these key projects, we're setting the stage for PUBG's enduring legacy as a game that continuously grows and thrives through community innovation.

Anti-Cheat

Last year, we redoubled our commitment to ensuring a level playing field for all our players, and our approach has been multifaceted: bolstering the detection of cheaters, curbing re-entries, and pushing the boundaries of machine learning to detect foul play more accurately. Our efforts bore results, enabling us to impose permanent bans on 3,188,276 accounts – a 33% increase over last year. We've also intensified our battle against illegal software by patching client security vulnerabilities, developing and deploying features to neutralize illicit tools like Anti-ESP, and tackling methods used to bypass hardware bans.

Yet, the battle against cheating is ongoing, as perpetrators continuously seek new methods. Therefore, we are not only persisting with and refining our current anti-cheat initiatives but also charting new directions for our countermeasures, prepared to adapt and evolve in our ceaseless pursuit of fairness.

Enhancing Detection Capabilities and Advanced Deep Learning

We're setting our sights on significantly upgrading the functionality of existing solutions like Zakynthos, alongside innovating new features to identify and penalize cheaters more effectively and promptly.
Our strategy includes fortifying the game against vulnerabilities in actions such as shooting and movement, complicating the development of illegal software, and laying down a robust defensive framework.
We're keen on harnessing deep learning more aggressively to distinguish and act against violators. Deep learning models, adept at recognizing patterns related to the use of aimbots and ESPs, have been deployed, signaling the beginning of a broader initiative to expand our monitoring and response capabilities.
Addressing concerns from our Console community regarding keyboard and mouse usage, we're taking a dual approach of data analysis and technological exploration to devise effective detection mechanisms. We are committed to transparency and will share tangible progress with players at the earliest opportunity.

Tackling Illegal Software Use Across All Modes and Preventing Re-entry

This year marks a pivotal shift from our previous focus, which was predominantly on the Ranked scene – we're broadening our horizon to encompass Normal Matches and all other game modes. Proactive measures are already in motion, and we're delving into a suite of strategies aimed at thwarting the attempts of banned users to re-enter the fray through newly created free accounts. More in-depth updates and insights on these advancements will be shared through our upcoming dev letters.

Temporary Suspensions

In direct response to your insights, we're committed to enhancing the process regarding temporary game access suspensions.
To first address concerns and dispel misconceptions within our community, we clarify that receiving an in-game report does not automatically result in an immediate suspension. Instead, reports are carefully considered alongside a comprehensive analysis of gameplay patterns and data before any action is taken. We acknowledge the potential for inadvertent penalties on well-intentioned players and are dedicated to minimizing this risk.
Our strategy to alleviate these concerns involves sidelining uncontrollable factors like in-game reports from the suspension decision-making process. We're leveraging advanced deep learning models trained to identify unmistakable signs of illegal software use, such as aimbots, ESP, and recoil manipulation. This approach aims to lessen the likelihood of unwarranted suspensions on innocent players. It's also important to note that this refinement does not undermine the value of player reports. Reports remain crucial in detecting misconduct trends and pinpointing suspect behavior, which play a pivotal role in our proactive measures to uphold the integrity of the gaming experience.

Continued Engagement and Transparency

In our pursuit of openness last year, we endeavored to connect with you, our valued players, through clear and forthright communication. Our approach involved transparently sharing insights into our anti-cheat initiatives via dev letters, live talks, videos, weekly ban notices, and more.
Leveraging these efforts, we are prepared to keep the lines of communication open regarding anti-cheat endeavors and milestones into this year. We'll keep you informed about significant achievements and future plans through our dev letters. Our commitment to enhancing our dialogue and feedback mechanisms with you remains steadfast as we continuously explore and improve upon the best methods for effective communication.

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