PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds may be the originator of battle royale games, but it's no secret at this point that its active player base has been eclipsed by Fortnite. On the morning of March 29, 2021, for example, PUBG live player counts were upwards of 1 million across platforms, according to PlayerCounter.com - which sounds fantastic until glancing at the 6.2 million people playing Fortnite, and previous peaks over 3 million. The likely explanation is PUBG's lack of newbie-friendly ranking combined with a notorious learning curve.
While there is an official Ranked Mode in PUBG with separated skill tiers, the emphasis is on high-level competition. Players must meet a minimum set of standards before they can even participate, including five placement matches that gauge initial rank. Most associated servers are squad-only, and the mode uses a custom ruleset closer to esports. There are penalties for abandoning a match or failing to play at least once per week.
Newcomers are, of course, able to play in regular matches, which have fewer barriers to entry while still using some skill-based matchmaking. The current system appears broken, though, based on how often weaker players tend to be overrun by expert snipers and gunslingers. Many of those still playing PUBG are three- or four-year veterans who have mastered its tactics and shooting, and they need to be kept well apart from the people still figuring out how to escape the blue circle of death on time. Veteran gatekeeping is a problem with any multiplayer title - yet the issue is exacerbated here, given a gameworld with one-shot kills, millions of ambush locations, and the need to scramble for so much as C-grade body armor.
What Can Be Done To Fix PUBG Matchmaking?
One possibility is what PUBG Corp. is already periodically doing: adjusting PUBG's algorithms. It could be that at some point, the studio will figure out how to prevent people with superhuman talent from ruining a casual player's experience. Since this hasn't worked so far, though, it could be that the game needs a dedicated beginner/casual mode. This could strip out some of the deadlier weapons and game rules while making it easier to find loot, perhaps at the expense of rewards. Players who rate too well could be kicked over to standard play.
The tricky business would be avoiding a deep split in PUBG's player base. Matchmaking is divided by maps, teaming, and first- or third-person perspective - which already creates gaps when an ideal match is supposed to have 100 players. Adding a casual option could potentially make things worse, so developers would need to experiment to see what works, if anything. Regardless, work is needed to make PUBG as friendly as Fortnite or Apex Legends without compromising its quasi-realistic core.
Source: PlayerCounter.com