PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds’ items will never offer in-game bonuses. In a recent Q&A, PUBG Corp. CEO and lead game designer Changham Kim said that while the developers would be developing new cosmetic items, rewards from PUBG crates would never be pay-to-win.
If you’re a full-on coward, you’ll love our PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds survival guide.
During the Q&A, Kim was asked whether the team plan on adding new item crates, similar to those it launched for the Gamescom Invitational. In reply, Kim says that while “there is a relatively strong demand for cosmetic items,” “we will never add anything that affects the gameplay.”
Kim goes on to say that the game’s full release, which is still slated for the end of this year, remains “top priority.” That means you won’t see any of those new cosmetic items until January at the very earliest.
The Gamescom item crates were launched back in August, and PUBG’s premium cosmetics quickly became pretty sought-after. While most of the items themselves were pretty simplistic, at time of writing, a simple red-checked bandana was sold on the Steam marketplace for $902 just a few hours ago.
Elsewhere in the Q&A, Kim mentioned plans for a ‘tutorial’ mode and new weapons. You can read the full transcript here.