PUBG gains 80,000 more players per day since it became free.

Parent company Krafton reports that since being free in January, PUBG: Battlegrounds(opens in new tab), the game that started the battle royale frenzy, has added more than 80,000 new gamers every day. The average income generated by PUBG players has increased by “more than 20% [quarter over quarter],” as well. The company’s sales report for the first half of 2022(opens in new tab) is the source of this information.

Prior to being free-to-play, PUBG: Battlegrounds had its name changed(opens in new tab) last year. This led to a flurry of brand collaborations, most notably with Assassin’s Creed(opens in new tab), which we felt was a little odd. In any case, Krafton’s total revenue is up, but it’s unclear how much of it is attributable to PUBG Mobile or New State Mobile, the company’s second mobile shooter that is similar to PUBG.

In its earnings report, the publisher reaffirmed its dedication to The Callisto Protocol by Striking Distance Studios and Unknown Worlds’ next new IP, which will be unveiled at GamesCom. The recent announcement of a gaming project based on the Korean fantasy book The Bird That Drinks Tears(opens in new tab) was also reinforced. If you can read the Korean source material, I’m sure this project is quite intriguing.