Bluehole Ginno Games, the developer behind the explosive hit shooter PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is reportedly changing its name, along with a complete expansion to serve PUBG players. For those new to the franchise, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds players are always coming up with new names and pronunciations for the game, but PUBG (pronounced “pub-guh” or “pub-gee) has all but stuck.
The newly dubbed PUBG Corp. is a hearty nod to its player base, as well as a self-explanatory goal for the company. The independent Devilian developer has seen a huge swell of financial success, having just reportedly reached over $4 billion after breaking the concurrent player record on game client Steam. CEO Chang Han Kim announced their new strategy in a press release:
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“Given Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds global success, we want to ensure that we have the operational efficiency that is required to support the game globally. This new structure allows us to be nimble as we look towards the expansion of strategic business opportunities that include the game’s potential in the esports sector and the growth of PUBG as a true global IP franchise.”
PUBG corp. Will also be expanding offices to Europe and Japan
Over the past year, the game has seen play on streaming services and major esports stages, but not everything has been smooth. Their first LAN tournament at Gamescom was met with middling success, with contestants using game exploits as strategies, deflating any tension the streams might have had.
Despite the company seemingly committing its entire identity to Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene’s property, PUBG Corp. going all in and dedicating a large amount of resources to its player base could be a healthy move as the game pushes out of early access.
In retrospect, the expansion is no surprise. With PUBG technically not formally released yet, this may be the start of larger sweeping changes for the young esport.
