Krafton and PUBG Studios have announced a new game, PUBG: New State, which will be a brand new mobile game from the makers of PUBG: Mobile.
Yes, it goes straight to mobile, with no mention of a PC version like the original PUBG.
The new game has been announced, but not much has been said, so let's dive into everything we know about it.
New State alpha testing confirmed
Krafton has confirmed that New State will be undergoing alpha testing in June 2021. This is going to be for those in the US only and on 11-13 June.
The alpha test will take place on Troi, the new map, to get feedback on the development of the game and some features that are coming to the new mobile game. Those interested will be able to apply for the New State alpha test here.
The New State story
New State is set in the year 2051, giving the chance to leap into the future from the original PUBG Mobile game.
The game remains a battle royale title and from everything that's been said so far, it looks like you'll be able to dive right in, using the experience from PUBG Mobile.
The main aim here seems to be to evolve the game further than you'd be able to go with a new map or game mode in PUBG Mobile - so it looks like there will be fundamental differences between the games.
The futuristic settings gives the game to change to exploit a post-apocalyptic setting, with the trailer showing battles across an empty shopping mall, vehicles littered with neon lights and additional weapons. The map has been confirmed to be called Troi.
There will be drones and ballistic shields - both of which we've seen in Call of Duty: Mobile - and we get the sense that much of what is being introduced is to rival elements we've seen in COD:M too. The trailer shows off a skull mask too - very much like Call of Duty's Ghost character.
It's also been highlighted that there will be interactive objects, although it's not clear exactly what these will be, so far, although Krafton says you'll be able to incorporate these in to the game.
Graphics
A lot is being said about next-gen graphics. Krafton has been keen to stress that it's going to push the limit of mobile gaming, using Global Illumination rendering, for increased realism and intensity.
The screenshots certainly look good, but at the moment it's not known what refresh rates and resolutions it will support. PUBG:M has always been a little vague about these things, using its own naming system for graphics settings.
We suspect that there will be some announcements with partner devices to exploit these graphics. Krafton has said that it's aiming to be the "most realistic battle royale experience on mobile."
New features
Several new features have been highlighted so far:
Combat rolls
The ability to combat roll has been highlighted, which raises the question of pace of the game. PUBG Mobile is a little slower on foot than the frantic action we've seen in Call of Duty: Mobile multiplayer, but this is where we've found combat rolls to be really effective. It might be that New State is going to be a faster game, although so far it's been said that it uses the same gunplay, so we're not expecting a huge change in gameplay style.
Weapon customisation
While PUBG Mobile lets you add various elements to weapons, it doesn't go as far as Call of Duty: Mobile's Gunsmith mode. Gunsmith lets you customise to a heavy degree, which is great for multiplayer because you know you're going to use that weapon. That doesn't apply to battle royale so much, which might suggest a switch of focus slightly away from weapon gathering.
It might just be, perhaps, that when you find a weapon, you get the customised version, a little like the current system with weapon skins in PUBG.
Adding grenade launchers and fire mode selections have all been highlighted - but from the trailer, it looks like a number of the weapons are going to be familiar to PUBG:M players.
New vehicles
The trailer highlights a number of vehicles. Some are recognisable from PUBG:M but with a little more futuristic lighting on them. It seems that 2051 will be filled with blue neon.
The launch trailer also seems to have what look like autonomous buses on the roads, which perhaps gives other options for gameplay.
Interestingly, while drones feature in the trailer, several of the images show what look like more advanced helicopters, with two massive fans instead of a rotor.
A new map
Rather than playing on the existing PUBG maps, there's a new map called Troi. We're sure there's a Troy link going on here, but let's not get distracted.
Troi will be an 8x8km map, which means it's the same size as Erangel or Miramar, so it's big. That's a great start, because big maps make for better games.
We don’t know a huge amount about the map, but it appears, like Erangel, to be temperate, plenty of rivers, trees and built up areas, with the shopping mall getting most of the attention so far.
It also looks like it might have a stadium on it, the inevitable bridges and a whole lot more.
PUBG New State release date
The New State release date hasn't been confirmed, but pre-registration is open for those on Android. It has been confirmed as 2021 release date, but there's no specific date. It will be available on both Android and iOS and pre-registrations have already passed the 10 million mark.
Alpha tests will be taking place in Q2 2021 in a limited number of regions, but nothing further has been said.
We’re hard at work developing the game, but we hear you! Outside of 2021, we don’t have more details around a release date, but we’re happy to announce that we will host alpha tests for #PUBGNEWSTATE during Q2 2021 in a LIMITED number of regions. Stay tuned for more info.
— PUBG: NEW STATE (@PUBG_NEWSTATE) April 9, 2021
We'll continue to scour for details and will bring you all the news on PUBG: New State as it breaks.