PlayerUnknowns Battlegrounds: Battlegrounds. It seems publisher Krafton quietly made the change in July. On the surface, its a silly rebranding akin to ATM machine, but there seems to be some reasonable logic behind the decision.

Krafton is actively expanding the PUBG brand through a variety of new experiences set in its universe, the publisher toldPC Gamer. RebrandingPlayerUnknowns BattlegroundstoPUBG: Battlegroundsis the first step in us realizing this vision. Additional titles in the franchise will carry the PUBG name, as you see with our upcoming game,PUBG: New State.

The next game in the series,PUBG: New State, is a mobile title with a futuristic setting.The Callisto Protocol, a horror game from the creators ofDead Space, is also connected to the franchise. The name hasnt been weighed down with thePUBGprefix just yet, though.

Many players have referred to the original game simply asPUBGfor years, and with more games in the franchise on the way, it makes sense to differentiate it a bit. The rebranding also takes the game away from the equally baffling former title, especially for folks who dont know who the devil PlayerUnknown actually is. Brendan PlayerUnknown Greene is the man who ushered in the battle royale craze by creating anARMA 2mod and then leading development ofPUBG.Heleft the game in 2019.

Still, Krafton could have called the phenomenally successful game literally anything else rather than giving it another awkward name. SimplyPUBGor evenPUBG: OGorPUBG: Where Are We Dropping?would have been better.

Meanwhile,PUBG:Battlegrounds(sigh) is going free-to-play for a week to mark the games collaboration with K-pop megastars Blackpink. It wont cost you a dime to play between August 10th and August 16th.

According toleaker PlayerIGN, Krafton may be using that week to test the waters and gauge player responses before potentially making the game free-to-play permanently.PUBG: Mobileis free, as are rival battles royale such asFortniteApex LegendsandCall of Duty: Warzone.

Announcing the official collaboration of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS ! Jump into the game and check out the changes made to celebrate!

Disclaimer: Please note that the faces included in the video are not part of the BLACKPINK Collaboration Bundles in PUBG: /Bj1ew8zj4S

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