PUBG Dev Says They’ll Never Add Lootboxes or Microtransactions That Affect Gameplay

In the wake of a micro-transaction and lootbox debacle in the gaming industry that has actually caught attention of lawmakers and state officials, the developer behind the wildly popular PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has sworn they’ll never add similar mechanics that affect gameplay.

The news comes via a developer Q&A at this year’s G-Star Exhibition in South Korea, where PUBG Corp. CEO and lead game designer Changhan Kim said “we will never add anything that affects the gameplay,” but noted they have an interest in adding purely cosmetic items into the game.

“However, there is a relatively strong demand for cosmetic items. Since the official launch is our top priority, we plan on adding new items after that,” says Kim. He also pointed to his team focusing on tackling the issue of in-game cheating, and offering a tutorial training mode.

“Frankly, I think there lies PUBG’s charm. Our thought was, ‘There is no practice in life! It should be tough!’ since delivering the reality was important. However, many players are requesting a tutorial mode or a shooting range, and we believe this could be helpful for some players. So, we will start devising a plan to develop such a feature after the official release.”

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently still in development, however it’s available via Steam Early Access and the Xbox Game Preview program on Xbox One. The PlayStation 4 version is still up in the air as developer Bluehole is reportedly in talks of extending their console exclusivity with Microsoft.

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