Skip to main content

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds' hits 2 million in sales on Steam, charity drive set

playerunknowns battlegrounds two million battlegroundsinvitational
Image used with permission by copyright holder
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, an open-world, multiplayer, last-man-standing shooter, has officially sold more than 2 million copies on Steam, making it a monumental success considering its Early Access status. To celebrate, developer Bluehole Inc. is hosting a charity drive and will match all donations up to $100,000.

Designed by DayZ: BattleRoyale modder Brendan Greene (better known as PlayerUnknown), Battlegrounds has had an incredibly successful run since its release in early April. It’s become one of the most popular games on Steam, with more than 124,000 playing the game at its peak. It’s even more popular than its inspiration, H1Z1: King of the Hill, a game Greene consulted on.

“One of the main reasons we were able to hit this sales milestone is that we have a dedicated community who has helped us refine PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds,” said Gang-Seok Kim, CEO of Bluehole Inc. “We felt this invitational was a great way to give back, and are pleased to make this small contribution to the cause.”

The charity drive will feature 64 American and 64 European streamers battling it out in a series of competitions, all streamed through the official Battlegrounds stream. Although it’s not clear who will be taking part, we’re told that a full list of streamers will be coming soon, and it’s expected to include a number of recognizable names.

The stream will take place starting at 10 a.m. PT on Thursday, May 4, with the European streamers having three hours to gun each other down in various events. That will be followed by a second stream starting at 2 p.m. PT that will feature the North American gamers.

The charity Bluehole is sponsoring through this fundraising campaign is Gamers Outreach, which provides games and technology to children in hospitals. The campaign is now live, with one donation made so far, and many more expected.

Bluehole Inc. has pledged to match any donations up to $100,000, so gamers who donate can feel secure knowing that their money will go further than it might have otherwise.

“On behalf of our whole team, we’d like to extend our thanks to everyone involved with this effort,” said Zach Wigal, founder of Gamers Outreach. “Whether you’re a streamer, donor, or helping to spread the word, your support is truly appreciated.”

Editors' Recommendations

Jon Martindale
Jon Martindale is the Evergreen Coordinator for Computing, overseeing a team of writers addressing all the latest how to…
How to get to Monkey Island in Sea of Thieves
An election poster for guybrush in Sea of Thieves.

Over the course of its many years of updates and expansions, Sea of Thieves has had a few notable crossovers with other pirate franchises. The Pirates of the Caribbean crossover let you team up with the legendary Jack Sparrow, but the Monkey Island content felt like it came out of nowhere. For those unaware, Monkey Island is a series of pirate point-and-click games that were as funny as the puzzles were obscure. Thankfully, you don't have to intuit that you need to combine a cat whisker with a mason jar to bypass a skeleton guard to get to this new content, but it is more challenging than you might think.

Read more
3 Xbox Game Pass games you need to play this weekend (May 3-5)
Senua in Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice.

Another weekend is upon us, and you're probably looking for some games to kill time with over the course of it. We're in a bit of a lull right now ahead of a flurry of releases starting next week, so it's a great time to dip back into the Xbox Game Pass catalog and check out some games that you may have missed. There are three games in particular that I think you should check out this weekend if you're looking for something to play.

One is an unsettling adventure that's getting an Xbox-exclusive sequel later this month. The next is a finely animated roguelike indie that recently made its way to Microsoft's gaming subscription service. Finally, there's a relaxing adventure that gives players a lot of freedom, yet is short enough to beat in a weekend. If you're having trouble deciding what to play this weekend, give one of these games a shot.
Hellblade: Senua's Sacrifice

Read more
3 underrated PS Plus games you should play this weekend (May 3-5)
The main character of Tales of Kenzera: Zau stands with two elemental items.

PlayStation Plus Premium and Extra have been around for almost two years, and during that time the subscription service has established itself as an ample competitor to Xbox Game Pass. That means there is a wealth of great games for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5 owners to check out if they're looking for something to play this weekend. I think PS Plus subscribers should be looking toward some of the more underrated games in the subscription service this weekend too.

I have three particular picks in mind. The first is an enjoyable Metroidvania that came to PS Plus' game catalog when it launched just a couple of weeks ago and deserves a lot more attention than it's getting. After that, there's an action-platformer that pays homage to series like Ninja Gaiden that you should check out before it leaves the catalog. Finally, there's a PS2-era Star Wars game that fills the niche a recently canceled game would have.
Tales of Kenzera: Zau

Read more