PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) may be taking a beating versus current battle royale favourite Fortnite but that doesn’t mean developer PUBG Corp has given up. Rather, it has unveiled a new map called Codename: Savage for PUBG on PC and plans to unleash it an alpha test to a limited number of players. Instead of being put on the PUBG test server, PUBG Corp will be distributing keys that will unlock the map for a limited number of players. You can get one via PUBG’s own website or through its social media channels.
The Codename: Savage map start time is 7pm PT on April 2 (7:30am IST on April 3) and ends at 4am PT on April 5 (4:30pm IST on April 5). This is however, just the initial phase of public testing. The next rollout of Codename: Savage will be bigger, PUBG Corp claims.
“We promised you that you would get a chance to try the new map very early on and we are delivering on that promise. We haven’t released content so early in its development since our alpha testing stage. We’re doing this because we want to start getting your feedback as soon as possible and drive the development in the right direction. At first, we are going to do a more limited test for Codename: Savage to make sure that nothing is too broken. Again, it’s a super early build, we hope you understand. The next test will be bigger!” a post on the PUBG site reads.
A new map is a step in the right direction. Regular content drops are a good way to keep PUBG's burgeoning audience hooked on the game. With a possible PS4 release on the horizon and frequent updates to the Xbox One version, all that PUBG needs to worry about is trying to implement some form of cross-play and cross-progression like Fortnite. But with the mobile version of PUBG developed by Tencent instead of PUBG Corp, this seems unlikely.
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