Bluehole Studio, the developer of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, announced that it has inked an exclusive content deal with Facebook. Consequently, fans will be provided with weekly livestream series. The idea behind the livestream events was “showcasing different game elements” to the MMO communities.
The first event kicks off tonight (July 10th). The livestreams will be launched as follows:
- 3am-6am GMT
- 11am-2pm KST
- 7pm-10pm PDT
The Bluehole community managers will host the first stream event. The next livestreams will be hosted by content creators and some of the Bluehole community managers.
Chang Han Kim, Bluehole’s Vice President and Executive Producer, released a special statement on the matter. He said that the aim of the new initiative was bringing fans and PUBG developers close to each other. He went on to say that livestreaming was an important factor for game’s growth. Mr Kim expressed his hopes that it would strengthen the relationship between developers and fans thus boosting PUBG’s popularity on a global scale.
Leo Olebe, Director of Global Games partnerships at Facebook, was also reached for a comment on the new content deal. He said that Bluehole and Facebook shared the same opinion as far as the power of gaming communities was concerned. He added that the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was a vivid example of a game where fans actually have a say in the development process. Mr Olebe said that the addition of exclusive PUBG content to Facebook was an excellent means for fueling the growing PUBG community on the social media platform.
Neither Bluehole nor Facebook representatives disclosed information about the financial aspect of the deal.
Although the announcement about the upcoming live streaming series let to predominantly positive reactions, players in Europe, Africa and North America strongly disapproved of the weird timing (3am-6am).
Others used Bluehole’s to express their anger against cheaters and urge the developer to take adequate measures.
Players also asked when the game would be available for consoles. According to released information, PUBG will be compatible with PS4 and Xbox One no later than the end of the year.
On the more positive side, Bluehole introduced optimizations that have made the game run smoother. The inconsistencies players stumbled upon when fighting other players were also minimized.
