Yes, yes. We know. You are missing PubG too. It's okay. Everything will be all right. Pakka :) Now that you've shown strength, and opened this piece, let's look at how this widely loved game makes money?
With a reach of more than 400 million worldwide users and 100 million active users across all platforms, PUBG is undoubtedly, one of the best-selling, and most played games.
The iconic phrase – “winner winner chicken dinner” seems to be synonymous to this game.
PUBG ranked on the top of the premium games segment with $1.03 billion in annual revenue for 2018 - excluding free-to-play mobile versions. (Source: Superdata).
That’s a hell lot of money.
The four primary sources of PUBG’s income are selling game licenses (for Microsoft Windows, Xbox, and PS4), In-App Purchases, advertisements, and brand collaborations.
What worked for PUBG?
Realistic Gameplay
If you ask a gamer, the mods, rifles, maps don’t matter as much as the experience as a whole.
The gaming experience in PUBG comes with the whole package - run, drive, fly, swim and the worst ones – camp with your squad and also get to interact with them on the go.
A wide array of maps and a whole lot of mods and guns just keeps the user engaged.
Setting an environment which makes a shooters’ paradise and making people feel that they are a part of the actual gameplay was the constant endeavor.
Engaging Users
PUBG is a perfect example of how to create a product that drives engagement and leads on demand.
Character customization and cosmetic upgrades are a couple of more things where gamers spend most of the time apart from the gameplay.
Now, as far as the game is concerned it may not have a monumental impact on how you play, but the attention to detail that is given is indeed admirable.
Continuous Improvement
Despite several complaints that the game lags and has bugs, PUBG has looked to continuously improve the gameplay and keeps adding more features.
This is also evidenced by how the developers have added multiple playing modes, including the latest 4 vs. 4 The Deathmatch Mode.
Multiple sources of revenue:
A significant share of PUBG’s revenue comes from selling its gaming license. However, in India most of the gamers play PUBG on their phones.
Therefore, like Dream11, PUBG too added a freemium pricing model for its mobile version.
Players can buy currency in the game and then have passes for upgrades and better weaponry.
Not long ago, PUBG also announced a monthly subscription for its mobile users.
Streaming success
It would be unfair to say that the game would have the reach if it was not for some of the biggest streamers on YouTube or Twitch promoting the game.
Streaming involves professional gamers playing live for their online audience.
It is said some of the top PUBG streamers can earn anywhere between $10,000 (Rs 7.3 lakh) to $20,000 per month (Rs 14.6 lakh).
Mortal, for example, earned an estimated $9,000 (Rs 6.5 lakh) a month and his annual earnings are estimated to be $113,000 (Rs 82 lakh).
Huh! Feels like we are in the wrong game.
But alas, all good things must end.
PUBG was banned in India, as our tensions grew with our Sino-neighbours.
With this news, Tencent (the company which developed the game) lost $ 34 Billion in market cap.
Notably, this is the second-largest market capitalization loss for Tencent since the company lost $66 billion last month in market cap following a ban on WeChat.
Now, with the ban, the focus will shift from PUBG to other eSports games. But what are the best alternatives for those who played PUBG?
Only time will tell.
Fall Guys / COD are some of the names that come to our mind. FAU-G, maybe?
But one thing is for sure, there is a huge market at stake and the developer which makes the first move will stand to gain.
We hope you enjoyed reading this series. With building it up in the intro write up, talking about the talk-of-the-town, Dream11 and understanding PubG's revenue streams, we had a lot of fun in writing this.
Bye, take care.
And, ReadOn.
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