According to developer Krafton, PUBG has had its most financially successful year since 2019. The company announced revenue of KRW 433.8 billion (or $320.4 million) for the third quarter of 2022, a staggering figure reflecting a 2% sequential increase in revenue and a 17% sequential increase in profit.
As for why this is happening, the official press release containing this information states that PUBG has seen an increase in sales in the third quarter of 2022 due to the continued influx of new players since the free-to-play game. A particularly striking figure came from PC sales, which increased 48% compared to the previous quarter.
Game consoles saw similar growth, with quarterly sales up 22% from the previous quarter and more than double last year’s sales. Aside from the transition to free-to-play, what prompted new players to start playing the game? The game has gone through several major updates over the past few months, including a new map and numerous collaborations with other brands. While PUBG remains a powerhouse in the Eastern market, these recent changes seem to be attracting more and more Western players.
After seeing the overall announcement of profit growth, you, like me, probably thought that most of the growth came from PUBG Mobile. While the platform has certainly been a success, with $208.6 million in sales (which is insane), it’s down 26% year-over-year since 2021. Krafton claims that most of the success comes from crossovers, such as international football players and super-care brands.
As for the future, Krafton will still launch The Callisto Protocol later this year. As one of the last big releases coming in 2022, it’s not hard to see that it has high hopes for the project. In addition, Krafton also announced that it has acquired Neon Giant, the developer of The Ascent, while news that Neon Giant is developing an open-world FPS.
And a project based on The Bird That Drinks Tears is still a way out. All future projects combined, and combined with PUBG’s growing presence in the battle royale genre, it’s safe to say Krafton is carving out a space for itself that’s going to get bigger and bigger. That said, if PUBG can maintain its status as a heavy hitter in 2022, and those upcoming games can make enough buzz.
What do you think about all this? Have you jumped into PUBG recently? Let us know below!
