PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds recently introduced a new feature on PC dubbed the “Event Pass,” which offers additional challenges and exclusive rewards to paying customers. Given the game’s initial $30 price point, players weren’t too happy about it, and in response, the game will be offering additional freebies.
“We’ve been paying close attention to all the feedback you’ve shared about our first-ever Event Pass, which we’re running to celebrate the launch of [the map] Sanhok on live servers,” PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds developers said in an update post on Steam.
The Event Pass, which launched alongside the Sanhok map and is designed to be thematically similar, lasts for four weeks and contains 17 exclusive items, but two free permanent items will also be coming to all players, even those who don’t pay for the pass. One of them is a bomber-style jacket with a wool lining, while the other is an eye-patch.
The developers also touched on the confusion surrounding limited-time “trial” items, explaining that these were offered in order to give players a taste of gear they might not have used before.
“We will continue to work on creating new ways to allow you to unlock great content in PUBG, and that includes offering cooler in-game swag,” the post continued. “We’ll keep thinking about how to better use trial items in the future.”
The Event Pass has been viewed by some as PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds copying a feature in Fortnite, which has a similar “Battle Pass” in place for its battle royale seasons. It’s somewhat ironic, seeing as PUBG Corp. is currently suing Epic Games Korea over allegations that Fortnite ripped off PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
They’re hardly the only battle royale games on the market these days, with Realm Royale attracting players recently. Both Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 and Battlefield V will also get battle royale modes, though the latter game’s mode won’t be available when it launches in October.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is now available on Xbox One, PC, iOS and Android. We’re still crossing our fingers that it comes to Nintendo Switch, which just received Fortnite last week, and that an option for cross-platform play is enabled.
