The video game by Bluehole Studio, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" has reached an all-time high record on Steam. The free-for-all battle royale type third-person shooter has blazed through popular games such as "Defense of the Ancients 2" (DOTA) by Valve when it comes to concurrent players, which means a number of players at a given time.
According to Engadget, "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" reached a peak of 1.34 million players, all playing at once globally. The previous record which was set by Valve's "Dota 2," which peaked at around 1.2 million concurrent players. The feat achieved by the shooter is quite impressive, especially since it was only released in March in the form of an Early Access game. This means that it did not include all of the developer's intended features.
"PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" has been received well, not only by the gaming community but by video game critics as well. In a YouTube review by IGN, they recognized the unique and seemingly hassle-free experience that the game provides. Given that the game is only at its early access, it is shaping up to be quite promising financially, and could evolve into something greater than its current simple, but addictive premise.
According to Venture Beat, the mechanics are simple. Up to almost 100 players can play at the same time, and an instance of the game goes on until there is only one person left standing while the force field that wraps the map shrinks as time passes by. Weapons are randomized at different locations, and players are spawned at various areas in the map, which means that there is a little bit of luck involved in playing the game.
However, the trick is for a player to have their wits about them in order to outsmart and outlast their opponents.
The game could be enjoying its time under the sun with the success that it is receiving, but there are still some problems that need to be addressed about the game. Forbes reported that there was one player who was able to win the game, simply by hiding from everyone else until it was just him and this other guy left on the battlefield. This is an ongoing problem for games of this nature, and Bluehole Studios is undoubtedly finding a solution for this strategy.
"PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds" is available on Steam for $29.99.
