PUBG has been renamed and the game could be going free-to-play, it’s claimed

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has officially been renamed and it has been claimed that the game could switch to a free-to-play model.

In a statement issued to PC Gamer, publisher Krafton confirmed the battle royale title is now officially called PUBG: Battlegrounds.

“Krafton is actively expanding the PUBG brand through a variety of new experiences set in its universe,” the company said. “Rebranding PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to PUBG: Battlegrounds is the first step in us realizing this vision.

“Additional titles in the franchise will carry the PUBG name, as you see with our upcoming game, PUBG: New State,” it added.

Revealed in February, PUBG: New State is a futuristic mobile sequel coming to mobile devices later this year.

Another PUBG-related game is also reportedly scheduled for release on PC and consoles by 2022, while a number of former Dead Space developers are currently working on The Callisto Protocol, a survival horror game set in the PUBG universe.

PUBG: Battlegrounds is getting a free-to-play week from August 10-16, and a dataminer who first broke the news of the upcoming free trial last month has claimed Krafton will “gauge player responses” with a view to adopting the model permanently.

Rival battles royale games such as Fortnite, Apex Legends and Call of Duty: Warzone are free-to-play, and Krafton has reportedly been considering adopting the model for PUBG for several years.

In April it closed PUBG Lite, a free-to-play, low-spec adaptation of PUBG: Battlegrounds.