PUBG giveth, PUBG (possibly) taketh away. PUBG custom matches are now a thing, allowing you to host a tweaked version of the battle royale for you and 99 other people. The problem is, as per PUBG Corp.’s patch notes, that there could be a custom matches paywall on the way, with an increased likelihood of the developers charging money for hosting custom matches to improve the quality of games.
What are PUBG Custom Matches?
PUBG custom matches, as per the developer’s recent update will see players on PUBG test servers on PC be able to host their own custom matches. You’ll be able to tweak several parameters, from map, player size, to even the size of the storm circle to create your very own game modes within PUBG.
On the face of it, it sounds like the perfect combination: ingenious player-led mode designs fused with the playground that PUBG provides. Unfortunately, as Eurogamer points out, it may not be as clear-cut as that.
Will PUBG Charge Money for Custom Matches?
In all honestly, it sounds likely. These are PUBG‘s very words on the topic, though you’ll have to read between the lines somewhat:
“Creating custom matches won’t have an associated cost during this phase. However, due to the extremely large amount of resources required to allow custom games to be available to all players, we may change this in the future to ensure everything runs smoothly and the system remains sustainable long-term.”
In essence, any potential server slowdown or other extended maintenance is going to necessitate PUBG to implement extra charges to help pay for the service. I’ll leave it to others to debate whether, ethically, that’s a good thing or not (spoiler: probably not), but you can expect any monetary charges, should they arrive, to come within a few months of testing. For now, though, PUBG custom matches remain free for the foreseeable future.
[H/T: Eurogamer]
