The company behind the massively popular first-person shooter "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" is reportedly in talks with Microsoft to extend its Xbox-exclusive period.
Bluehole Studios, the makers of "Battlegrounds," has agreed to launch the game on Xbox One first by the end of the year. The company is also likely to offer Microsoft an extended period as the only console to host the game.
Bluehole Chief Executive Officer Chang Byung-gyu did not comment on the Xbox exclusivity deal, saying only that he has spoken with all of the major console companies about the game's future releases.
Likewise, Microsoft is staying silent about the subject. "Right now, the team is solely focused on bringing the best game possible to Xbox One and PC. We have nothing further to announce at this time," a company spokesperson told Bloomberg.
"Battlegrounds" has amassed a huge amount of players on its PC version, which is still in early access. Even though the game is technically not yet finished, it has already sold over 13 million copies and has broken records for the most concurrent online players on Steam, beating records set by the popular "Defense of the Ancients 2."
With the game's surge in popularity, industry titans like Sony and Tencent Holdings are battling over the rights to release the title on their gaming platforms.
Microsoft's Xbox One is estimated to have sold only half of the over 60 million PlayStation 4 units that Sony has sold. If "Battlegrounds" were to remain exclusive to the Xbox One for an extended period of time, this could help drive sales figures for the Microsoft console.
"PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" is responsible for the rising popularity of the battle royale genre in video games. In "Battlegrounds," dozens of players are dropped into a huge map where they have to fight one another. The last person standing is declared the winner.
