PUBG’s original Erangel map is returning with “nostalgic” graphics and old-school balancing for two weeks only, Krafton has announced.
Erangel Classic launches on May 14 as part of update 29.2 for the battle royale. It recreates the initial version of Erangel, PUBG’s first ever battleground, and is “designed to evoke nostalgia for players who remember the early access days.”
PUBG launched on Steam in Early Access form in March 2017 and exploded with popularity. Then known as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, the battle royale hit Steam’s record concurrent player peak of 3,257,248 — a number no game has come close to since. Hot on the heels of PUBG’s success came a wave of incredibly popular battle royale games, such as Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends. PUBG remains one of Steam's most-played games, usually behind only Valve's own Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 in peak concurrents.
According to Krafton, Erangel Classic “blends the original concepts and atmosphere of Erangel at the time of its first release with current gameplay elements to provide a unique old-school experience.” Iconic elements from the original Erangel map have been implemented in Erangel Classic. Here’s the official blurb, from Krafton:
Upon entering Erangel Classic, players will find that benches have returned, with weapons placed on them across the starting island. The gunplay balance has also been adjusted to capture the feel of the early days, with the recoil of all weapons, except for a few, being reduced. Players can also find the Tommy Gun in the Care Package, just like in the old days. Additionally, players will be able to experience foggy and rainy weather, as well as graphics, world map, and a minimap that call back to the original PUBG: Battlegrounds release.
Players can experience Erangel Classic in Normal Match for a limited time. It will be available on PC from 14 May to 28 May, and on consoles from 23 May to 6 June. During this period, Erangel Classic will replace the current Erangel map in Normal Match.
The PUBG we know today can be traced back to the DayZ: Battle Royale mod for Arma2, created by Brendan 'PlayerUnknown' Greene, and his subsequent PlayerUnknown's Battle Royale mod for Arma 3, work inspired by the 2000 Japanese sci-fi film Battle Royale. Greene went on to work with Krafton, then known as Bluehole, to build PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
