ChocoTaco Hits Out At PUBG- Is the End Near for the Game?

PlayerUnknown’s Battleground has hit stratospheric heights of popularity since it’s release. At its peak, in 2018, PUBG boasted of a mind-boggling 3.2 million players. It’s popularity knew no bounds at one point in time. Even non-gamers knew all about the battle royale game. Last week, the PUBG developers celebrated its third anniversary by announcing a slew of new content.

Firstly, an updated version of the popular map ‘Vikendi’ will be released soon. They also vowed to release reworked maps, new maps, new weapons, mechanics and much more.

Moreover, players can also redeem a special 3rd-anniversary item box for free, featuring a hoodie, an M416 skin, and a parachute.

There is almost a sense of panic behind the way PUBG developers are trying to keep the BR title interesting and for good reason. They are clamoring to keep hold of their players any which way possible.

PUBG rapidly losing users

PUBG enjoyed two highly successful years after its release in 2017. However, things have taken a turn for the worst since last year.

Having hit the 50 million mark in terms of units sold, PUBG has started losing its players gradually since the start of 2019, especially on Steam.

In January of 2019, PUBG had an excess of 1.084 million players, just on Steam. Fast forward six months and the number had dropped, alarmingly, to 750K+.

Coming back to the present, PUBG now has around 560K+ users remaining.

Since the start of 2019, PUBG PC has lost 500,000+ players, and the trend could very well continue as the year progresses.

Take a look at the damning drop in the comprehensive visual below.

So what has gone so horribly wrong for the title that was at the very top of the field just two years ago?

There is no single reason, rather a combination of different reasons contributing towards it.

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Aggressive Competition

Ironically, PUBG has become a victim of its own success.

PUBG was, undoubtedly, one of the pioneers of the battle royale genre in the gaming industry, along with Fortnite. They made it so popular that other developers realized what a huge market it was, prompting them to work on, and release their own standalone BR titles.

The last couple of years has seen the gaming industry spew many such titles like Apex Legends, CoD: Black Ops 4 and Cod Warzone, just to name a few.

With such a wide array of choices now available, users are opting for games that best suit their needs. Many professional players and streamers have started to make a beeline for other titles as well, leaving PUBG in a clutch.

Bug Infestation

PUBG is notorious for its constant stream of bugs and glitches that have ruined the gaming experience for countless players.

While the developers are very active when it comes to adding new and exciting content to the game, the same enthusiasm is missing when it comes to fixing the bugs within.

It’s always fun to have new stuff in the game, but you can hardly it when the glitches are ever so prominent. Add to that the poor servers, and user satisfaction was bound to drop.

A popular Twitch streamer, chocoTaco was one of those annoyed with the unsatisfactory service by the PUBG developers. As he mentions below, every update brings with it a host of new bugs and glitches.

Hackers’ Delight

Hackers are not a rare occurrence in online multiplayer games. All developers have to put in the effort to discard hackers from their titles.

In PUBG, however, it almost feels like a  lost battle. While the developers are banning thousands of hackers every day, it is not making much of a difference.

On any given day, you are bound to come across players who use unfair means of grabbing an advantage, and it can quickly frustrate and turn away honest players in the game.

Game Over for PUBG?

Looking at all the issues that are persistent in the game, is PUBG’s time coming to an end?

Not necessarily. Despite the drastic drop in users in the past year or so, there is still hope. The game has a drone of loyal fans who are optimistic about a change in the culture.

And now is as good a time as any for the developers to wake up from their slumber and take a pro-active stance. With the COVID-19 health scare forcing a phenomenon of social distancing and self-quarantine, there is a huge spike in casual gamers.

Now is the time for PUBG to attract new players and rise back to the top, but they will need to work for it.