Last November, we received word that the Chinese publisher Tencent was working on a PUBG mobile game. Soon after, we were provided with, not one, but two gameplay trailers, each showing different PUBG mobile titles.
Today, both PUBG mobile versions launched in China. There’s PUBG Exhilarating Battlefield and PUBG Army Attack. Both games have instantly risen to the top of the most downloaded iOS apps, as pointed out by marketing analyst Daniel Ahmad:
Both games have instantly jumped to the top of the download charts on iOS. The games had 75 million pre-registrations. So that shows you how huge the demand was for PUBG on mobile. pic.twitter.com/GhTRPmyMCu
— Daniel Ahmad (@ZhugeEX) February 9, 2018
These new PUBG mobile games are currently only available in China, and there’s no talk of either title launching anywhere else. While this may disappoint those of you who want to play PUBG at any time and in any place, we’ve got the next best thing: PUBG mobile gameplay!
Players of the PC and Xbox One versions will no doubt recognize the Erangel map. Graphically, it doesn’t look at that impressive, but in terms of gameplay, it seems surprisingly easy to navigate the map and engage enemies.
For a look behind the development process, check out the PUBG mobile development diary embedded below. (Note: It’s in Chinese with no subtitles.)
With competition from the likes of Knives Out and Rules of Survival, we’ll have to wait and see what kind of long-term success PUBG mobile experiences. Of course, the name itself should ensure some level of success, and it does look like a polished experience. I’ve learned not to underestimate the battle royale genre!
