While it has died down to some degree as of the time of this writing, the controversy surrounding randomized in-game loot boxes which grant tangible gameplay benefits is still likely fresh in the minds of many gamers, especially after everything that went down with Electronic Arts’ recently released Star Wars Battlefront 2.
Therefore, it’s probably not too surprising that PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds developer Bluehole recently took the time to reiterate that such a feature will never be introduced to the popular battle royale title.
During this year’s recent G-Star Global Game Exhibition (which is held annually in Bluehole’s home country of Korea), PUBG Corp. CEO and lead game designer Changhan Kim sat down for a quick developer Q&A during which he touched on various current and upcoming aspects of the game. When asked about the potential future addition of new in-game loot boxes, Kim gave the following response:
"As you may already know, we will never add anything that affects the gameplay. 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."
Bluehole already tested out a cosmetic loot boxes feature earlier this year during the PUBG Gamescom Invitational tournament, and Kim’s statement seems to suggest that players reacted in a mostly positive manner to them.
As long as Bluehole does indeed keep the loot boxes purely cosmetic in nature, their eventual implementation will ideally mean increased profits for Bluehole and, as a result, more (and more frequent) substantial content updates after the game’s full launch.
Be sure to read the full Q&A to see Kim discuss other features which Bluehole is considering for future PUBG content updates, features like a training mode and/or virtual firing range and, naturally, new weapons which could soon join the game’s existing armory.