What is the current status of the release of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds on PlayStation 4 and when can players expect the official release on Xbox One? Is there already a release date for PUBG PS4?
The Korean magazine Inven conducted an interview with the head of PUBG Corporation, Chang Han Kim. There were current updates regarding the port to PlayStation 4 and the full release on Xbox One.
While PUBG is currently “fully released” on PC, it is still in a game preview version on Xbox One, meaning it is in early access. When it comes to the “PlayStation 4,” PUBG has thus far been evasive with a concrete statement. There has been back and forth on this matter in the past. Recently, it was heard that Microsoft aims to keep PUBG away from the PS4 in the long term.
PUBG on PS4? First, the Xbox One version needs to be ready
Regarding the status of the PS4 version, Kim stated:
We will be an exclusive title for Xbox One for some time. During this phase, we will focus on completing PUBG for Xbox One. If we get the opportunity, we want to ultimately bring PUBG to all platforms.
Early access on Steam and game previews on Xbox One are pre-releases, meaning there are no quality requirements. This is different for PlayStation. In some cases, games needed six months longer to release there, even though they were already finished.
Currently, we are in a phase where we still need to learn how to develop in a console environment and what console players like. We can only think about other platforms once we finish the Xbox One version and have properly assessed it.
When is the official release for Xbox One?
Regarding when the Xbox One version will be officially released, Kim said:
It’s hard to envision a precise plan, which is why we started in early access on Steam. At the beginning of the year, we promised to release the game by the end of 2017 and could only keep that promise by sacrificing our vacation.
The development team is working very hard to resolve the current “market” issue on Xbox One. After that, they want to create a stable 1.0 version for PUBG.
PUBG Increasing Staff, Desperately Seeking Engineers
PUBG is currently looking to increase the development team to 300 people, currently they are about 200 – of which 160 are at the headquarters in Korea. Kim identifies finding “engineers” as the biggest challenge. Engineers are the rarest and most sought after workforce in the IT market – that is even the case in Silicon Valley. They are expensive and hard to find. There are always too few of them.
In the long run, Kim wants to develop PUBG into a general media brand: They want to participate in eSports, movies, TV series, cartoons, animated films, and more. Currently, they have received some very nice messages from Hollywood and Netflix.
The dream of PUBG is to establish a new gameplay-based culture and take the lead there.
Mein MMO states: Apparently, PUBG is so bound by the exclusivity deal with Microsoft that they are simply not allowed to discuss the PS4 port. Not even now. However, the vague hints make it clear that they certainly want to go there.
After the recent rumor in October that Microsoft wants to permanently prevent a port of PUBG to PS4, these are now more positive signals.
Anyone looking for a PUBG alternative on PS4 should meanwhile probably turn to Fortnite and its Battle Royale mode.
More on PUBG:
PUBG Beginner’s Guide: Are you a newcomer? These tips help immediately
