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PUBG is a video game franchise owned by the South Korean video game company Krafton. It began with PUBG: Battlegrounds, a 2017 battle royale game developed under the creative dire…
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Investigate this subjectPUBG is a video game franchise owned by the South Korean video game company Krafton. It began with PUBG: Battlegrounds, a 2017 battle royale game developed under the creative direction of Brendan Greene, whose online handle "PlayerUnknown" formed part of the game's original title.
PUBG is a video game franchise owned by the South Korean video game company Krafton. It began with PUBG: Battlegrounds, a 2017 battle royale game developed under the creative direction of Brendan Greene, whose online handle "PlayerUnknown" formed part of the game's original title. The franchise includes the original PC and console title, mobile adaptations, a regional version for India, esports competitions, and story-based media released under the "PUBG Universe" label.
The original game became a major commercial success during early access. By September 2017, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds had sold more than ten million copies on Steam after entering early access in March that year. PUBG Mobile, released in 2018, became one of the franchise's largest products, passing one billion accumulated downloads outside China by 2021. Krafton has continued to position PUBG as a long-term intellectual property, with later plans to expand it through additional games, live-service updates, user-generated content, and related media.
PUBG: Battlegrounds developed from Greene's earlier battle royale modifications for existing games. Greene had previously worked on battle royale modes and mods for games including Arma 2, Arma 3, and H1Z1, before joining Bluehole to develop a standalone commercial version of the format. The game entered early access for Windows in March 2017 and received its full Windows release in December 2017.
The title was initially released as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. In 2021, the game was renamed PUBG: Battlegrounds, a branding change that formalised the already common use of the shortened PUBG name. The rebranding accompanied Krafton's wider effort to use PUBG as a franchise label for connected games and media rather than only the original battle royale title.
PUBG grew from a single multiplayer video game into a franchise after the commercial success of PUBG: Battlegrounds. The original game sold more than ten million copies on Steam within several months of its early access launch, and its early growth led to mobile adaptations, regional versions, esports competitions, and related media projects.
Krafton has continued to describe PUBG as one of its central franchise properties. In 2021, Krafton's planned initial public offering was valued in connection with the success of PUBG, with the company seeking to raise up to 5.6 trillion won at the top of its indicative range. The company's later market performance was also tied to expectations for PUBG and its mobile-related revenue streams, particularly in Asia.
In 2025 and 2026, Krafton outlined plans to expand PUBG beyond its existing battle royale format. The company's roadmap included an upgrade path for PUBG: Battlegrounds, a user-generated content project, and further live-service development. In 2026, the company said it would accelerate growth of the PUBG intellectual property while developing other potential franchise properties. Industry coverage of the strategy described the planned expansion as a move toward broader player-created modes and platform-style experiences, with the company discussing a future version of PUBG that would not be limited to traditional battle royale gameplay.
PUBG: Battlegrounds is the first game in the franchise. It was released for Windows through Steam early access in March 2017 and received its full Windows release on 20 December 2017. The game was later released for Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Stadia, Xbox Series X and Series S, and PlayStation 5.
The game is a multiplayer battle royale title in which up to one hundred players enter a map, collect equipment, and attempt to be the last surviving player or team. Its commercial success helped establish the PUBG name and led to further mobile adaptations, competitive events, and transmedia projects.
In January 2022, the PC and console versions moved to a free-to-play model. The shift formed part of the game's continued operation as a live-service title, with later updates focused on new content, anti-cheat measures, user-generated content, and longer-term technical development.
PUBG Mobile is a mobile adaptation of PUBG: Battlegrounds for Android and iOS. It was co-developed by LightSpeed Studios and PUBG Studios and released in 2018. The game follows the same basic battle royale structure as the original title, with players competing to survive against other players in a shrinking play area.
PUBG Mobile became one of the franchise's largest commercial branches. By March 2021, it had surpassed one billion accumulated downloads outside China. Market estimates later placed lifetime player spending for PUBG Mobile at more than US$8 billion across the App Store and Google Play.
Battlegrounds Mobile India, also known as BGMI, is a regional version of PUBG Mobile for the Indian market. It was launched after India banned PUBG Mobile in 2020 as part of restrictions on China-linked mobile apps. The Android version was released in July 2021, followed by an iOS release in August 2021.
The title became a major part of Krafton's Indian gaming business. By 2025, it had more than 240 million downloads in India.
New State Mobile is a mobile battle royale game developed by PUBG Studios. It was announced as a sequel to PUBG Mobile and was released globally for Android and iOS on 11 November 2021.
The game is set in a future version of the PUBG universe and was released as a free-to-play live-service title in more than 200 countries. It introduced new vehicles, equipment, and systems while retaining the franchise's battle royale structure.
PUBG: Blindspot was a free-to-play, top-down tactical shooter spin-off developed by PUBG Studios and published by Krafton. The game entered early access on Steam in February 2026 and was shut down after less than two months.
PUBG: Black Budget is an announced extraction shooter connected to the PUBG brand. The game is planned as a first-person extraction shooter with player versus player and player versus environment elements, includin
Source: PUBG (franchise) (CC BY-SA)
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