Developer: Bluehole
Genre: Survival
Platforms: PC, consoles(planned)
Availability: Closed beta in February 2017

On January 20th (local time), Bluehole held a media preview of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, which was headed by Brendan Greene, the creator of the Battle Royale mod.

Prior to the demo, Project Director Changhan Kim took to the stage and presented an overview of the game. Kim explained that Battlegrounds is aimed at realizing Greene's original vision. While Battle Royale was a mod for an already established game called H1Z1, Battlegrounds wanted to deliver the exciting and realistic battle royale experience that the original creator imagined.

The game’s visual pillars are weather, water graphics, gunplay, and action, all made with the Unreal Engine 4. Kim announced that the animator for Arma 3 was brought in for the project, and the company visited the original development house, Bohemian Interactive, for motion capture. Twitch streamers who played the alpha 2 version of the game last December had generally positive impressions.

Since the origin of the game is Greene’s mod, Battlegrounds will also support user mods to create new environments. Bluehole revealed their plans to provide an ultimate platform where players can share different mods.

Battlegrounds will go into closed beta next month in North America and Europe. There are also plans to conduct alpha testing in Asian countries, including China and Korea.

Note: Playtest demo at the event was based on Alpha 2 version of the game.

Q&A session

The current playtime of a single session seems rather long. If a player dies in the first several minutes, it’s not that exciting to spectate while waiting for the next game. Any thoughts?

Kim: People who played H1Z1 already know this, but you can continue to play in other games when you leave the current session after you die. So, even if you die in the first five minutes, you can start a new game without any downtime. It’s not in the playtest version, but we iterated on reviving fallen allies in teamplay mode.

We only have single player mode here on the floor, but with two or more people, it can alleviate some of the problems, because your partner can help you get back on your feet even if you fall in combat. For single player mode, players will keep joining new sessions for a new challenge. Since it’s really hard to be the last survivor, we believe it’ll make achieving first place that much more satisfying.

I wasn’t able to get any weapons in the early game and was killed off. Do you have any plans to add unarmed combat?

Kim: We plan to add unarmed combat down the line. In the playtest build, all players were parachuted down in a concentrated area, but in the new build, players can choose the timing for when they want to land. If you avoid those highly dense areas when you land, you’ll be less likely to die early.

What reward does the last survivor get? Are there plans to add management mechanics like hunger and thirst?

Greene: Unlike DayZ, we won’t have those systems because I don’t think those mechanics are suitable for the battle royale genre. The last person standing receives skins or level-up points. It’s also possible to use the leaderboard to see how you stack up against other players.

Kim: One session only takes about 30-40 minutes. Battlegrounds is about delivering the essence of good gameplay. That’s why status effects aren’t in the game.

Could you tell us about the weapons and weapon customization?

Greene: There are 17 weapons and over 30 modifications. We have 4 sights available, and you can customize your weapons with various mods like magazines, grips, and muzzles. For example, quickdraw magazines reduce reload time, and extended magazines increase ammo capacity. There are also other special-purpose mods that improve accuracy.

Although gameplay is intense, it’s difficult to find weapons. Are there plans to increase the likelihood of encountering other players or giving hints on where the weapons are?

Greene: We’re still working on the exact playtime of a single round. I think you’ll be able to see more people as we add more players to the game. We are not considering the addition of items that tell you the location of cars or items, because we believe that getting used to the game through learning is an integral part of the experience. Confronting the fear of the unknown and randomized item location are all big parts of the game. As such, we don’t have plans to add features like that.

How did you join Bluehole?

Greene: I’ve been developing Arma 2 and 3 mods for four years, and joined Daybreak Games to work on H1Z1. Around that time, Kim asked me to join the team for a new project. After talking to him, I felt that he and I had the same vision. We exchanged our ideas over Skype, and I came to Korea to expand on those ideas. I got the sense that he and I were on the same page, so here I am with Bluehole.

How did you overcome the language barrier?

Kim: We already have a few employees from other countries who speak different languages, which helps in our effort to create products that are tailored to a global audience. For communication, we have a professional interpreter on site who helps with meetings and emails. As time went on, we started to communicate directly, sometimes with the help of Google Translate.

Have you decided whether to go free-to-play or full retail?

Kim: We will release it as a full retail game on Steam. However, we’re still discussing how to proceed in the Asian markets. Fundamentally, though, the game will be retail. We might sell skins like CS:GO does, but the game won’t be free-to-play.

What makes Battlegrounds different from other similar games like DayZ and H1Z1?

Kim: Battlegrounds is more similar to H1Z1 than DayZ. A big difference is that Battlegrounds fits more closely in line with Brendan’s original design. H1Z1 is more arcade-y from the controls to the gunplay.

Conversely, Battlegrounds aims for realism. If you’re the right type of person, I think you’ll enjoy our game more. Feedback from previous testing indicates that it’s a niche game. I’m confident that the game will have a devoted following.

Greene: To add to Kim’s response, H1Z1 is about killing other players, and a high kill count is necessary for you to be good at the game. Battlegrounds, however, puts the player’s strategies and skills to the test.

If you’re a highly experienced player, you can be the last person standing regardless of what weapon you have - even with a frying pan. There was a similar case in Arma 3 in which a player became the second to last survivor without killing anyone; he just ran from forest to forest. In Battlegrounds, players’ strategy and situational awareness play a huge role in success.

What are some of the things you did with Battlegrounds that you couldn’t with mods?

Greene: Developing a mod for Arma 3 had clear limitations because the number of gun components was limited. Additionally, it’s notoriously difficult to learn animations for Arma. With Battlegrounds, I was able to create various gun components and realistic animations.

Are there plans for a console release?

Kim: We don’t have set dates yet, but we plan to start working on the console version after the PC release.

Anything we missed that you’d like to say?

Kim: I understand there are people from other parts of the world who love PC gaming. Battlegrounds will first launch in North America and Europe because of the difference in market size. We’ll listen to communities about their needs to polish and expand the game. Thank you for taking an interest in Battlegrounds.