Although PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is still one of the most popular battle royales in the industry, its developers are still looking for ways to shake up the gameplay and keep fans interested. In order to do so, developer PUBG Corp. unveiled the new Arcade feature and its team deathmatch game mode.
According to the recent announcement, PUBG Arcade is a new part of the game meant to showcase new custom matches for players. In order to build excitement for Arcade's upcoming game modes, the dev team decided to start by introducing the classic Team Deathmatch game mode popularized by previous FPS games.
Unlike its battle royale counterpart, PUBG Arcade's Team Deathmatch locks players into first person perspectives. The game mode pits two teams of eight players against one another. To start, PUBG Corp is offering players eight different Spawn Kits that can be exchanged each time a player respawns. In order to minimize potential chaos, friendly fire is also disabled, and respawning players are granted a few seconds of invincibility as they re-enter the game. Health also regenerates, and players can build up their Boost gauges with each assist or kill. Furthermore, Arcade will allow its combatants to choose seven new battlefields from four existing PUBG maps.
Although some might be concerned about PUBG neglecting its battle royale mode, PUBG Corp. shows no signs of abandoning its main feature. With the beginning of its sixth season, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is adding a new map and a Black Zone that can destroy buildings. The developer also recognized this concern in its update post, and promised that the game's primary game mode will always be its "core focus." Overall, PUBG Arcade seems to just be an opportunity for the team behind the game to experiment with the existing gameplay to create something new.
However, the Arcade feature also seems to reflect the creative direction of PUBG creator Brandon Greene, who recently said that he was "done with battle royales." Hopefully, while players continue to enjoy his creation, Greene will have the opportunity to contribute to the custom Arcade modes and (perhaps) experiment with his own new ideas.
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is available now on PC, PS4, Xbox One, and mobile devices.
Source: PUBG Corp.