PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds took the video game industry by storm this year, selling more than 10 million copies since its release on Steam Early Access in March. This massive success led developer Bluehole to create a new subsidiary named PUBG Corp., which will focus on the development and global business opportunities for the gaming phenomenon (via Kotaku).
“Given PLAYERUNKNOWN’S BATTLEGROUNDS global success, we want to ensure that we have the operational efficiency that is required to support the game globally,” said Chang Han Kim, CEO, PUBG Corp in a press release. “This new structure allows us to be nimble as we look towards the expansion of strategic business opportunities that include the game’s potential in the esports sector and the growth of PUBG as a true global IP franchise.”
Last month, we learned that Bluehole teamed up with Microsoft to launch PUBG on the Xbox One later this year. Microsoft will publish the Xbox One version of the game, and Bluehole has no plans to launch its battle royale jewel on the Playstation 4 for now. In addition to the upcoming Xbox One launch, Bloomberg reported earlier this week that Chinese tech giant Tencent is interested in buying an equity stake in Bluehole as well as publishing the game in the Chinese market. “Tencent can be a very important partner for us,” confirmed Chang Byung-gyu, chairman and co-founder of Bluehole to Bloomberg.
