Seoul, South Korea – August 10, 2016 – Bluehole, developer of the popular MMORPG, TERA, today announced it has successfully concluded the first pre-alpha test for PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, the open world strategic shooter produced in collaboration with PLAYERUNKNOWN, creator of the fan-favorite “Battle Royale” game modes for ARMA 3 and H1Z1. Over 600 players participated in the test sessions, with overwhelmingly positive feedback on the game’s progress after just four months of development—particularly with regard to the project’s core gameplay, responsiveness and stability. Additional tests will take place every six to eight weeks as the game advances.
In development for PC using Unreal Engine 4, the standalone game will expand the core Battle Royale experience enjoyed by millions of players into a highly competitive player vs. player (PvP) game in a dynamic open world. PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS will put up to 64 players on a remote island for a winner-takes-all showdown where strategic gameplay is as important as shooting skills. Players will enter a last-man-standing battle where they try to locate weapons, vehicles and supplies in a graphically and tactically rich battleground that eventually forces players into a shrinking safe area as they engage in a tense and spectacular fight to the death.
“The enthusiastic response of the players after experiencing the bare bones of the game tells me we are on the right track for strong gameplay set in a realistic open world,” said Brendan Greene, aka PLAYERUNKNOWN. “Our Bluehole team has made amazing progress and everyone is fired up for the next play test when we’ll have more of the game to show.”
Bluehole and PLAYERUNKNOWN are committed to an Open Development philosophy for the game, sharing regular updates with the passionate community base, providing early assets and information, answering questions and taking in feedback. This spirit of collaboration is integral to the game’s success, as the online game will grow and thrive with the participation of its player community.
“I want to thank all our testers for their participation and feedback as Open Development is at the heart of this project,” said Chang Han Kim, Production Director of Bluehole. “We are producing new game content daily to enrich the experience and the core gameplay of strategic combat driven by player tactics is already coming through loud and clear.”
PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS, currently under development for PC by Bluehole in creative partnership with PLAYERUNKNOWN, will be published by Bluehole worldwide as a paid title. More information on the game will be released on an ongoing basis. For updates, visit playbattlegrounds.com and follow PLAYERUNKNOWN and the official game account,@pubattlegrounds, on Twitter.
