Rumor: PlayerUnknown's BattleGrounds Might Be Going Free-To-Play

It's apparently "F2P Rumor Week" here at MMOBomb. Yesterday, we got word that Electronic Arts might be taking its FIFA series free-to-play next year, and today comes a hint that another big pay-to-play game might also be taking that F2P plunge.

Twitter user PlayerIGN, who calls himself the "#1 reliable source for datamines, localization, and insiders on PUBG" unleashed this bombshell late last week:

Leak:
PUBG wants to go free-to-play.

They’re going to track player responses in a F2P week that’s happening next month.

Keep in mind, PUBG originally wanted to go F2P in 2019; but didn’t get the player response they wanted att from 2019’s F2P test.

— PlayerIGN (@PlayerIGN) July 24, 2021

His claim that PUBG wanted to go free-to-play in 2019 would roughly coincide with the release of PUBG Lite, which debuted in Thailand in January 2019 before making its way to Europe in September of that year. It shut down across all regions in April 2021.

Still, the lessons learned from PUBG Lite could serve as a template for the core version of the game going forward. It seems like a sensible move. Most battle royales are free-to-play already, including PUBG's #1 competition, Fortnite, and the game's progression and inventory system already feel like that of a F2P game.

It would also make sense to see some changes coming in the wake of Krafton's long-anticipated initial public offering (IPO). The company is expected to settle on a price today and confirm the amount on Thursday. Being public might mean that the company's investors will demand more growth, and PUBG's player base has been shrinking for several years now. A move to free-to-play could send those numbers soaring in the other direction.