[PUBG Update] Dev Letter: Gunplay Development Direction

[KZG Bot]

Hello players!

We’ve been working hard to improve the gunplay experience of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS by adding new weapons and constantly updating the weapon balance. Our work continues today to provide a more enjoyable experience by providing various gunplay options while maintaining realistic gunplay and core fun.

Through this announcement, we want to discuss our gunplay development’s future direction and goals for PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. So let’s get started, shall we?

New Gunplay Development Theme

Starting in 2022, we have set the theme of future gunplay development as diversity and opportunity. As you play PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS, you will face the moments where you have to make choices, which will significantly impact your match results. Therefore, we want to diversify the range of options and increase the opportunities for making choices.

Of course, the current PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS will maintain realistic gunplay and core fun. In addition, we want to create more opportunities by raising the performance of various weapons instead of nerfing them. We will also increase the frequency of updates to respond quickly to player feedback.

We need to provide players with an experience that allows them to choose and learn from various weapons, and we believe that diversity and opportunity are essential to gunplay. Ultimately, diversity and opportunity will lead to a fun gunplay system. Moreover, we seek to find new chances in player communication. 

Improving Disproportionate Use of Weapons

The core play of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS is a continuation of choosing where to land, how to enter the blue zone, what guns to use, and how to run the game to get the chicken dinner. When it comes to choosing guns, 7.62mm guns have been prevalent over other options, and we think this was because of the lack of alternatives. 




The development team recognized that the bias towards the 7.62mm guns was severe. Since then, we have analyzed the indicators from 2021 and tried to improve the issue with the highest priority. If players only had to use some relatively powerful guns, they won’t be able to experience different types of gunplay and the joy of selecting guns. Therefore, as mentioned earlier, we want to stop nerfing powerful guns and start upgrading other relatively weak ones to create new positions. 

The buff of 5.56mm guns carried out in the first half of 2022 is a typical example. Also, the M416 rollback, which the community has requested for a long time, was applied. Starting with the Mk12, 5.56mm DMRs have received a significant increase in stats so that 5.56mm guns can compete with 7.62mm guns. As a result, the current use and win rate of 5.56mm guns have increased compared to the beginning of 2022.   

However, a significant gap remains. Therefore, we aim to see even usage rates for both guns. We’re not only focusing on gun rebalancing but an overall update that will cover 2023. So, please look forward!

Currently, we are focusing on primary weapons such as AR, DMR, and SR to stabilize the gunplay meta. However, other weapons with relatively low usage, such as SMGs, shotguns, and pistols, will also receive an improvement in the future. For example, after the shotgun buff in December of last year, the shotgun has been widely used in the early stages of match melee combat or engagement situations when clearing buildings.

Again, we plan to extend these updates to all weapons, bringing weapons’ individuality and unique playstyle. The introduction of new gunplay elements will create an environment where unpopular weapons can have an advantage depending on the situation and compatibility. Of course, primary weapons like AR, DMR, and SR will still be at the heart of the meta and will be of the utmost importance.

Attachments

The next option in gameplay that follows is attachments. Unfortunately, we also have high usage rates for specific attachments. To improve the situation, we will enhance the concept and characteristics of each attachment so that players will select different types of attachments depending on the conditions.

In addition to the Heavy Stock introduced in Update 19.2, we plan to adjust the grip balance in Update 20.1. The already powerful Vertical Foregrip will have a utility nerf, and the rest will receive a direct recoil/utility buff. Especially we expect a significant performance increase for Light, Thumb, and Angled grips. 

Also, various updates, including scope-related improvements and riding shot balance are prepared for stable gun play. For detailed specifications, please check out the Update 20.1 Patch Notes.

New Weapons and Content

To have players use many different types of weapons, it is a good idea to provide a wide variety of weapons to choose from. In addition, we will also provide players with new content.

We want to add some popular new guns that can be widely selected in all maps and modes along with continuous balancing. Of course, we won’t forget to add some funky weapons, so please look forward!

In addition to the guns and attachments, we envision new play mechanics. For example, adding modes, we have introduced through the Labs in the past, like Thermal Scope Mode. Or adding resistance to certain weapons and new ways of attacking opponents. We are researching and developing new content to elevate the sense of control and completeness to a high level. In particular, we plan to put more effort into balancing weapons so they do not harm the current weapon ecosystem.

Communication and Updates

One of the new goals of PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS gunplay is to increase communication with players about gunplay’s directions and update them accordingly. We believe active communication is needed more than ever to enhance the gunplay experience with the new theme of diversity and opportunity.

Conveying a clear direction for gunplay development through Dev letters would be the first step. In the future, we want to continue our development by communicating with players from all regions playing different types of modes. We are also exploring ways to listen more from our official partners and esports players and apply them to the game.

Lastly

We think gunplay is the core gameplay among the various elements that make up PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS. Therefore, gunplay development requires much validation and effort not to compromise fairness and stability. As our ultimate goal is to have fun and balanced gunplay, we don’t think it will be simple and done within a few patches. 

We learned that we need a lot of feedback and interest from our players during our development towards improving equal and fair gunplay. 

We’re always looking for ways to improve the game without affecting the core feel players have gotten used to, so we hope you’re as pleased with these changes as we are. As always, we look forwards to your feedback, and we’ll see you on the Battlegrounds!

Thank you. 

PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS Dev Team

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