PUBG Has Big Plans For The Next Two Years
Kim Chang-han, the CEO of Krafton, the holding company that comprises PlayerUnkown's Battlegrounds developer Bluehole, let slip that there are two new games set in the PUBG universe on the way. A "battle royale mobile title" will arrive sometime in 2021, while a "PUBG-related PC and console game" is planned for next year, 2022.
The surprise reveals of new titles in the PUBG universe came as an aside at the end of a Bloomberg article about Kim and Krafton Inc. Krafton is a holding company created in 2018 by Kim, former CEO of Bluehole and a driving force behind PUBG, to consolidate efforts on the battle royale game and other initiatives, such as the upcoming MMORPG Elyon.
In the article, Kim pushes back against comments that the company has failed to find success outside of PUBG, stating, "We will not stay as a one-hit wonder." The new titles in development that Kim revealed seem largely PUBG-adjacent, however. The 2021 battle royale mobile game "will be based on PUBG," and the 2022 title will be "another PUBG-related PC and console game."
Those descriptions make it seem like Krafton is playing it safe by sticking with the PUBG brand that has made it one of the most successful new studios of the 2010s. However, the article also alludes to the company's surprise survival horror title, The Callisto Protocol. This game, planned for a 2022 release, is being developed by Striking Distance, another development company, in partnership with Krafton and will be set in the PUBG universe. Led by Glen Schofield of Dead Space, The Callisto Protocol demonstrates the range Krafton is willing to explore in its signature franchise.
It isn't just other genres of video games that Krafton is looking to explore. In the Bloomberg article, Kim also reveals that Krafton is developing an animated series "that will be uploaded on streaming services." In addition, the company has plans to create "movies and dramas."
All of this information comes against the backdrop of a planned initial public offering that would occur sometime in 2021. Bloomberg reports that Krafton's value at that time could reach $27.2 billion, making it South Korea's largest in years. That value would make the company larger than Take-Two and Bandai Namco while making Krafton competitive with titans of the industry such as Activision and EA.
Gamers will have to wait for more details on what will happen in the PUBG universe from developers. However, these casual announcements and major financial moves indicate that Krafton and PUBG have an exciting couple of years ahead of them.