PUBG: New State was announced today as the mobile sequel to the mother of modern battle royal games, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
Developer PUBG Studios revealed PUBG: New State Thursday as the next step to the successful battle royale. The game will come out on both iOS and Android, with a pre-registration option available for Android users.
New State set years in the future
New State will still follow the traditional PUBG formula but will receive an overhaul. For starters, it will get a brand new setting, set in 2051 – years after the original title’s timeline.
So far, a number of factions will fight for supremacy, going beyond contemporary weapons.
Jump into the most realistic battle royale on new battlegrounds with PUBG Studio's latest mobile game <PUBG: NEW STATE>
The Original Battle RoyalePre-register now: https://t.co/TZqt7hGz0P
*Pre-order for iOS will start at a later date pic.twitter.com/VRazHJEG4g— PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS (@PUBG) February 25, 2021
According to the trailer, the game will mix known weapon platforms to futuristic arms. The game will also add a few extra items for players’ use.
The game will add several new ways to fight, including drones, ballistic customizations, riot shields, and combat rolls. The weapons will also change, adding more fire modes and attachments like grenade launchers.
“Set in the near future, years have passed since the original game. In 2051, anarchy rules as numerous factions battle each other,” notes the game’s description. “The competition has evolved into a new battleground featuring state-of-the-art technology that requires survivors to adopt new tactics to survive.”
PUBG sequel to compete with its own mobile game
PUBG: New State will look and feel much better than the current game. The question, however, is its move towards mobile, where its own PUBG: Mobile game is still active.
While PUBG: Mobile does not have a solid market in the West, it is still among the most played in Asia. Asian countries like India, China, Taiwan, Vietnam, and the Philippines all have active communities.
The possibility of moving players from Mobile to New State is unknown. There’s even a possibility that the upcoming game will compete with its own title. What is odd, however, are the similarity of its features to COD: Mobile.
Items like the ballistic shield, drones, and more have been part of COD: Mobile since its inception. The implementation that New State will do will likely be better than COD. Even then, it becomes a question of how much further can PUBG innovate.
There’s only so much that PUBG can do in the battle royale space, especially on mobile. Their success will depend on how they can displace their current competitors.
The original PUBG came out in 2017 and is one of the most successful games of all time. The game reached 70 million copies sold on PC and consoles, with 600 million downloads from mobile.
PUBG New State has a pre-registration on Android right now. Players can get more information in the months to come.
Featured image courtesy of Playerunknown’s Battlegrounds/YouTube Screenshot