The PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Sanhok map is back and better than ever to celebrate the milestone of 70 million lifetime sales. The battle royale shooter has maintained its sizable player base since its launch in 2017, attracting a wealth of different gamers. Through different in-game seasons, PUBG has implemented various weapons and equipment to give players an edge on the battlefield.
Despite its popularity and reputation as one of the heralds of the battle royale genre, PUBG hasn’t been without its bugs, such as game crashes. PUBG Corporation, the game’s developer and publisher, has been relatively quick to tackle any issues, though, the task is a never-ending one. Using Epic Games’ proprietary Unreal Engine 4, PUBG could eventually see itself transitioning to next-gen platforms and upgraded to the next generation’s Unreal Engine 5.
According to PUBG Corporation, PUBG’s Sanhok map is returning with improvements to celebrate the game’s milestone of achieving 70 million sales. The map’s resurgence will coincide with the launch of the game’s Season 8 update. Sanhok has received a bit of a makeover, evolving into an “overgrown, abandoned paradise.” PUBG Corporation rebuilt the entire map, redesigning buildings, trees, and other assets, as well as implementing new locations, such as a new town (Getaway) and the bootcamp (Airfield). Season 8 begins on PC on July 22, 2020 and on PS4, Stadia, and Xbox One on July 30, 2020.
Furthermore, Update 8.1 will bring new content, such as the Loot Truck, Confiscated Weapons, Improved Jerry Cans, a new Ranked Season, and the Survivor Pass: Payback. The Loot Truck will offer players a new way to acquire gear by damaging the vehicles to force them to drop loot as they drive around Sanhok; if players destroy the truck, they will receive more weapons – such as new Confiscated Weapons, which drop with “preinstalled attachments and unique skins” - and gear. Improved Jerry Cans are returning with some revisions, as players can now throw the entire bundle at enemies or pour gas on the ground and light it on fire. The new Ranked Season also commences with Update 8.1, with Ranked Point acquisition changing to account for team placement and adding the Vikendi map to the Ranked map rotation. The latest Survivor Pass, as always, adds new skins for players to earn.
PUBG is considered the primary herald of the battle royale craze, highlighting how quickly genre trends shift in the gaming industry just as they do in other markets, such as fashion or cinema. Every five-to-ten years, a company does something different – while maintaining enough familiarity to attract fans – to entice consumers to branch out. When enough people rave about the innovative take on a shooter game, more users follow. Eventually, the community swells, leading to the 70 million sales PUBG has now experienced. Soon enough, the game’s popularity will plateau, with participation fluctuating like a rollercoaster, which the industry has seen with titles such as World of Warcraft, a game that retains diehard fans, but mostly attracts new subscribers while losing others who get bored after a while.
PUBG is available now on PC, PlayStation 4, Stadia, and Xbox One.