Hello everyone,

Since the start of the FIX PUBG campaign, the dev team at PUBG has prioritized tasks around improving core performance of the game while fixing longstanding bugs. To accomplish these tasks within our allotted time frame, all available dev resources were assigned to the campaign. However, due to several new stability issues that arose apart from FIX PUBG, we wanted to hold off on completing the campaign these last few weeks while we worked on resolving those issues. We understand that timely communication with you is important and will always look for ways we can improve. I apologize to the players on behalf of the Dev team for the postponement until now, but while we’re a little late from the posted FIX PUBG schedule, we still feel it’s important to share the results of this campaign.




At the start of the campaign, the most important elements we had in mind are as listed below. We have worked on increasing the quality of PUBG based on largely these four topics. We will go over the state of each category as well as what we still plan to improve upon.

• Provide the best gameplay experience possible through client and server performance optimization
  
• Ensure fair gameplay with more efficient anti-cheat solutions using all available means
  
• Smarter and faster matchmaking through improved matchmaking logic
  
• Fix bugs that degrade the experience while applying long-requested QOL improvements

During this campaign, one of our key goals was optimization, with the main focus on delivering a smooth and seamless gaming experience, especially in certain gameplay situations that could greatly affect your chances of winning/losing (such as early battles after parachute landings, close combat in the last Blue zone, etc.). While the overall game-wide optimizations, such as increasing normal frames, were minimal, the performance optimization for specific situations as mentioned above was quite impactful. We have analyzed the effects of our performance improvements on frame rate by using level benchmark profiling, and as the chart shows, FPS has increased in November’s build when compared to July.


Level Benchmark Profiling

To explain a little more in detail, we have optimized level streaming and decreased the burden that comes with level loading while moving. Compared to before, the average time to load 1 level has dropped significantly from 14.4 seconds to 5.6 seconds. Our work on optimizing “Physics Creation” is still ongoing and we plan to apply those fixes after running a final test around the end of December.

By optimizing game effects, we have reduced the load caused when multiple effects are activated at the same time. We have also begun optimizing frame rate drop issues on specific effects such as smoke. Environmental effects, vehicle destruction effects, hit effects and smoke effects have been improved and we are planning to add improvements on weapon related logic and effects as well.

Regarding character related optimization, we have seen unfortunate side effects caused by movement optimization, such as footstep sound bugs and desync. Of course, we place player experience as the top priority even if that means we lose out on a part of optimization. This does not mean we have given up on character movement optimization, though. We are preparing general optimization work and once it has gone through proper stability testing, we will apply it once again.



In a Dev Letter last August, we talked about server performance. As of Update #19, we have improved the early game server performance, which had the lowest performance of each match, and increased the average FPS by more than 20%, which we are happy to have maintained on similar levels.

Below you see the graph for NA’s average server FPS after Update #19.


NA’s average server FPS after Update #19

Our current goal is to maintain a server tick-rate of 30 from the start to finish of the match. As the server tick-rate increases, the actual ping time is reduced and instances of desync are also mitigated. Since it is still a hot topic in the community, we plan to continue to focus heavily on this goal.

I’d also like to explain the desync issues that occurred during the FIX PUBG campaign a little more in-depth. When the issue arose, we analyzed server logs as well as the many videos you shared with us. The strangest among the reported instances were the desync issues that occurred even with low ping. After having traced the source of this issue, we discovered that there was a bug in one of the character movement optimizations that were implemented to increase client performance. As many of you noticed, this bug has been fixed as of the November 7 patch, which has been reported to greatly reduce instances of desync for many players.

Desync can still occur and has a greater chance of happening when ping is high or there is a high variance in ping between players. This makes proper matchmaking all the more important, which I will go into in the next section. Having so many variables can sometimes make issues difficult and hard to anticipate, but we will continue our efforts to ease server related problems wherever we can to reach our 30 server frames per second goal while ensuring smooth and precise gameplay.



Below, I’ve outlined our current goals for Matchmaking.

• Provide a stable gaming environment by matching players with similar Ping.
  
• Provide a fair gaming environment by matching users with a similar skill level (in relation to MMR, not Rank).
  
• Set-up for players using the same language to be placed on the same team.
  
• Ensure large-scale play with 100 players to maximize the fun of the Battle Royale experience.
  
• Minimize wait times as best as possible while fulfilling the above requirements.

As you can see, the matchmaking in PUBG is somewhat complex, and requires quite a few variables to work how we want it to. Making a change to improve one aspect can very often lead to new problems somewhere else.

We consider the matchmaking issues that occurred after Patch #22 to be in similar nature. As outlined in our Dev Letter from last October, this problem has been largely solved, but that patch alone is not enough to find the right balance in matchmaking.

Here are the steps we’re considering to improve this.

• Provide better matchmaking queue information for all map/mode options
  
  • Let players select the best choice based on their personal judgment in regions/time zones where the matching pool is insufficient.
    
  • Ensure that maps & modes are running smoothly.

Matchmaking screen when playing in a good ping environment


Matchmaking screen when playing in a bad ping environment
*The above images are examples. Actual UI will likely be different.

We are considering a matchmaking UI overhaul so players can more easily recognize the estimated wait time for matchmaking and the current ping. With an improved matchmaking UI based on personal preferences, players will be able to play in their desired environment and game mode/map, even if matching takes a little longer. In the end, we want to provide useful information for players to judge the situation and make the choice between wait time and optimal performance themselves if the matchmaking pool doesn’t allow for both.

Of course, these improvements do not mean simply changing only the UI, but also need to be accompanied by technical aspects for support such as a function that can measure the average ping value as accurately as possible. Until we are able to provide you with the best matchmaking method, we will focus on aspects of the system we can help now.



Our fight with unauthorized programs can only be compared to a never-ending battle. Such a fight can be exhausting but we have already made great strides, banning over 2 million accounts during the FIX PUBG campaign alone. We will continue to improve system analyses and monitoring, policy, and new anti-cheat solutions, while at the same time exploring external solutions such as police investigations and legal action. While breakthroughs and improvements aren’t ever fast enough to eradicate all cheating, our mission remains the same; to never back off in the fight against unauthorized programs.

We are constantly banning unauthorized programs by analyzing and utilizing data from various logs. In addition, we are developing our own anti-cheat solution to prevent the use of unauthorized programs. We expect to have something to share on this in the near future.

For some organizations, bans and countermeasures aren’t enough to dissuade the production of these programs. In some regions, we have been able to work with local law enforcement to arrest the groups involved in the production and sale of unauthorized programs and we will continue to aid authorities in any way we can. We are also finishing preparations for hardware bans to permanently remove stubborn players who refuse to play fair. These bans will begin soon and will target players who continue to cheat on new accounts.

There is much more I can go into on this topic, but there are other things to discuss related to the FIX PUBG campaign. We will speak more on the subject of anti-cheat in a separate Dev Letter.



We began the FIX PUBG campaign with 100 bugs and QOL improvements to tackle and everything in this category has been completed. I don’t say this to ask for praise, rather we are disappointed that this list was 100 items in the first place.

From a developer’s perspective, bugs are elements that occur continuously at any time, but we understand that anything that affects your gameplay takes away from the fun you have with our game. We have put more of an emphasis on the QA process for our builds and are planning to secure even more resources for a smoother QA process.

We are always grateful for the players who take time to submit bug reports with us. In order to process these kinds of bug reports more efficiently, we are preparing a new system that enables players to submit and track the progress of bugs through a new website. We are now in the final stages and our goal is to release this before the end of the year, after running all necessary stability/functionality tests.



The direction of Xbox and PlayStation development will parallel with PC, continuing to focus on providing our console players a more refined game service to give the best experience. We'll update any other detailed information regarding future plan of PUBG on console as well.



Throughout our game’s journey, our main goal was to provide you new content quickly, while supplementing Battle Royale gameplay. We acknowledge that in this process, we have overlooked issues that matter to you and we have reflected a lot on our mistakes. Something like this requires not only considerable effort, but extra care to ensure that bugs remain fixed and do not impact anything else.

Therefore, when designing the 2019 PUBG roadmap, we’ve changed our direction from this last year. Build stability and quality are now our most important value, and upon that base we will build new Battle Royale gameplay and new content. At first, this is likely to slow down our build cadence, but as these processes become more proficient, we hope to provide new content as fast as before, while maintaining our new stability and quality-first goal. While we cannot say how long this will take, we promise you that we will give our best efforts to reach this stage as quickly as possible.

Three months have passed since the announcement of the FIX PUBG. We know there are many things to improve upon, but we do have a sense that we more accurately feel what you, the players want and need. While this is the end of the FIX PUBG campaign, we will go forward in our development, improve our processes, and redouble our efforts with the lessons learned.



As always, thank you for your continued support and passion for our game.

Hey everyone,

Earlier this month, we introduced the National PUBG League (NPL), North America’s pro league for PUBG Esports. As we move closer to Phase 1, we wanted to outline the overall structure of the league and how the season will play out. Each professional season consists of 3 phases leading up to a Global Championship. These phases are 8 weeks long and feature matches from both the NPL and an NPL Contenders tier.



The 2019 competitive season teams are broken down into two main tiers, the NPL which features the top 16 teams in the league, and the NPL Contenders tier, which houses the 16 teams challenging for a position in the NPL.

NPL matches will take place over the course of 5 weeks of each phase, with matches broadcast twice a week from OGN studios for a per-phase prize pool of $200,000. NPLC matches happen online once per week during 4 weeks of each phase, with the top teams able to fight for promotion into the NPL. More on that in the Relegation and Promotion section!

In the middle of each phase, all teams from the NPL and NPLC will duke it out in a special 1-weekend-only rumble called NPL Royale at OGN studios. This exhibition tournament has no standing on the overall season, but allows all teams to battle it out for a separate prize pool while gauging all the individual teams in the competition.



The first step in the NPL 2019 season is determining which teams will compete. Teams who wish to participate in the Online Qualifier for the preseason tournament will have to complete registration by December 7th. As a reminder, the official NPL rules state that all team members must be 18 years of age by February 1st, 2019 in order to participate in the preseason.

The Online Qualifier will be held from December 11th to December 16th on Battlefy and the top 24 teams will be invited to participate in the preseason tournament. If you wish to sign your team up to participate, you can do so here.



The action begins on January 7th with the first preseason matches to determine which teams will join each tier of competition. 32 total teams will be chosen through invitation and online qualifiers to face off live from OGN Studios for a prize pool of $100,000. More importantly, the top 16 teams will advance to the NPL where they will battle it out throughout Phase 1 of the season. The remaining 16 teams will be placed into the NPL Contenders tier, which will have opportunities for promotion into the NPL throughout the season.



At the end of each phase, the bottom 6 teams will have to fight for survival against the top 10 teams in the Contenders league to hold onto their spot in the NPL. Once the dust settles, the surviving 6 teams move into the NPL and the next phase of the season begins. This constant check and balance ensures that the best of the best are always representing the NPL and that teams who train hard won’t have to wait until a completely new season to show they can play with the big dogs.



Official game settings for the NPL are still being finalized, but for preseason we’ll be adopting the same settings being used in the PUBG Europe League qualifiers. Once official 2019 universal ruleset is finalized, we’ll be sure to share them out.

All the heart-pumping NPL action is about to get underway, so be sure to sign your teams up to participate and stay tuned for future announcements. We’ll see you on the battlegrounds!

--The PUBG Esports Team

This update to patch 23 fixes some bugs, adds a paid name change option, introduces a new customizable emote wheel with 3 new emotes available for purchase with BP and more.

• For technical testing purposes during this test server period, players will receive a name change item through the Player Care Package upon login.
  
  • This item is only available on the test server and will be distributed until Nov 20, 6pm PST / Nov 21, 3am CET / Nov 21, 11am KST.

• Replay version has been updated, replays from previous updates are no longer playable.

• The voice chat is available in the custom match before game starts.

• Improved the in-game emote system.
  
  • Added an ‘Emote’ tab in the ‘Customize’ menu.
    
  • You can add/remove emotes you own to the Emote menu for use in game.
    
  • You can also see animations of the emotes you’ve selected on the character to the right of the screen.
    
  • You can have up to 12 emotes active at a time.
• Improved item visibility when you equip items on the Appearance menu.
  
  • When you select an item in the Appearance tab, equipped items will now be hidden from the character in order to show the selected item clearly.
• Added the current region status in-game under the HP HUD.

• A paid nickname change item has been added to the store. The standard price is $9.99.
  
  • This item will be $4.99 (50% off) from November 21 to December 5.
• 2018 PKL Items (Limited 3 items) are available.
  
• You can purchase various emotes from the store using BP.
  
  • Three new emotes are currently available: ‘AIR GUITAR’, ‘DRAW!’, ‘ZAPPED’

• Improved the 3D character render to be more smooth when previewing skins or gear.

• Fixed an issue where pressing ESC while leaning would maintain the leaning stance.
  
• Fixed an issue where sometimes a character would be shown as under the ground with only their face showing while waiting in specific areas before the game starts.
  
• Fixed an issue where helmet skins applied in the lobby are sometimes delayed from appearing on looted in-game helmets.
  
• Fixed an issue where characters can’t pick up a dropped melee weapon again after dropping it on specific stairs in Erangel.
  
• Fixed an issue where grenades would sometimes damage an incorrect area.
  
• Fixed an issue that the camera angle would move into the character’s body when walking into destroyed wired-fence.
  
• Fixed an issue in the custom game that in-game team list doesn't match while switching over spectating teams with Page Up/Down keys.

These hotfixes have been applied to the live server.

• Fixed an issue where the voice channel shown was not the active one.
  
• Fixed an issue where character model was shown as the opposite gender in the store preview screen.
  
• Fixed an issue causing a game crash when other players pick up an item while you are picking up same item with specific amounts.
  
• Fixed an issue that “You can’t report yourself” message comes up when you report a player from a Replay.
  
• Fixed an issue in the custom game that the voice chat doesn’t work in the airplane after setting the voice channel as ‘All’ in the voice option.

Thanks for playing :)
- The PUBG Team


Replay

• Replay version has been updated, replays from previous updates are no longer playable.

Custom match

• The voice chat is available in the custom match before game starts.

Skin & Item

• Nickname change item is on sale for 50% off.
  
  • Discount period: 2018.11.21 - 2018.12.05
• 2018 PKL Items (Limited 3 items) are available.

Performance

• Improved the 3D character render to be more smooth when previewing skins or gear.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue that the camera angle would move into the character’s body when walking into destroyed wired-fence.
  
• Fixed an issue in the custom game that in-game team list doesn't match while switching over spectating teams with Page Up/Down keys.

UI/UX

• Added the current region status in-game under the HP HUD.

Hot Fixes

• Fixed an issue that “You can’t report yourself” message comes up when you report a player from a Replay.
  
• Fixed an issue in the custom game that the voice chat doesn’t work in the airplane after setting the voice channel as ‘All’ in the voice option.

Skins & Items
This crate is now available in the live server.

• Added Ryan the Lion Crate.

Test server update
Bug Fixes
These are applied to the test server.

• Fixed an issue that causes the camera to pass through doors when moving the camera in certain situations.
  
• Fixed an issue where vehicle horns continued to sound after exiting a vehicle while holding LMB.
  
• Fixed an issue where an enemy player would appear to prone/stand up multiple times in specific situations, after proning and standing up once. 
  
• Fixed an issue with the Pan of Judgement skin preventing players from being able to completely remove the skin from their pan in-game.
  
• Fixed an issue where in certain situations the door opening/closing animations did not play when another player interacted with the door.
  
• Fixed an issue where green blood was more visible than red blood.
  
• Fixed an issue with reconnecting while in a vehicle, which would remove the player from the vehicle and upon reconnect the player model would sometimes be clipped inside the vehicle.
  
• Fixed an issue where care packages would sometimes drop outside the playable area, in the water.
  
• Fixed an issue which sometimes caused care packages to drop from the plane tilted, or flipped upside down.
  
• Fixed an issue where the lobby screen had black bars with certain aspect ratios.

Bug Fixes

• Fixed an issue which could cause the current server region indicator to be shown as "Unknown" beneath the health bar.

Skins & Items

• Added Christmas skins
  
• The 50% off sale has ended for nickname changes, which will now be sold at the standard price of $9.99

Hey Everyone,




Group 4 of the Twitch streamer skins are here, featuring the champions of Broadcaster Royale Season 1; thz_tv and dahmien7! The two-man wrecking crew from Les Krotins battled it out and beat the odds against 80 other teams to take home the biggest Chicken Dinner of the season. You can support your winners by picking up their crates for the special price of $14.99. Each crate contains all 4 clothing items as well as their commemorative golden pans, featuring each winner’s logo.

Skins are also available individually for $4.99 each and can be purchased until December 6th at 7pm Pacific through the game client, Steam, or directly from each streamer via their Twitch channel’s extension. Each sale directly benefits the Twitch streamer, so pick up your favorite skins and support them in-game and out!

This group features skins from other Broadcaster Royale competitors as well, so read on for the full list of available items.

This group’s streamers:

dahmien7 • Edberg • NeoticaCH • thz_tv • Xaragon0731

Put a smile on your face and rev up your Harley, because officially licensed skins from DC Comics have just dropped into PUBG! For a limited time, you can pick up the costumes worn by The Joker and Harley Quinn in DC Comics’ feature film Suicide Squad!

Harley Quinn’s “Daddy’s Lil Monster” outfit, complete with “Good Night” baseball bat skins for the crowbar and machete can be purchased in a bundle for $24.99, while The Joker’s Night Club Suit bundle can be picked up for $19.99. Each bundle includes new hair and makeup options as well to complete the look of these two iconic characters.

These skins are only available for a limited time, so pick them up before January 30th!