PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is taking players on a trip down memory lane by bringing the original Erangel map back into the game to provide nostalgia.
Krafton announced that the Erangel Classic map brings old-school balancing and graphics for only two weeks. The classic map launches on May 14, 2024, as part of update 29.2 and recreates the original version of the region.
PUBG: Battlegrounds' Erangel Classic Map
(Photo : Krafton / Screenshot taken from official website)
Erangel is PUBG: Battlegrounds' first-ever battleground and the new map that it inspired was designed to "evoke nostalgia for players who remember the early access days." PUBG: Battlegrounds first launched in early access on Steam in March 2017.
Since then, the game has exploded in popularity among players and has hit Steam's record concurrent player peak of 3,357,248. This is a figure that no other game has come close to achieving since.
PUBG: Battlegrounds' success inspired a lot of new games similar to it such as Fortnite, Call of Duty: Warzone, and Apex Legends.
Despite all of these competitors, PUBG: Battlegrounds is still one of Steam's most-played games and is usually behind Counter-Strike 2 and Dota 2 in peak concurrents, according to IGN.
Krafton said that Erangel Classic will blend the original concepts and atmosphere of the original map at the time of its first release with modern gameplay elements. This will provide players with a unique old-school experience with current mechanics.
Read Also: Manor Lords Early Access: Incomplete Yet Addictive, Promising City Builder
Iconic elements from the original map have been implemented in the new Erangel Classic. Krafton said that when players first enter the new map, they will find that the benches have returned with weapons placed on them across the starting island.
The developer has also adjusted the gunplay balance to capture the feel of the early days of the game. This includes the recoil of all weapons except for a few being reduced to be in line with how they were in the old days.
Bringing a Nostalgic Feeling
Many players will most likely be familiar with the revamped map idea as Fortnite previously brought back its original 2018 island map late last year. This caused it to break its records for play counts and peaked at 44.7 million players, said Engadget.
Krafton's nods to the original map include foggy and rainy weather that adds an air of unpredictability to the battleground. Erangel Classic will also have a Tommy Gun in the care package, a vintage map UI, and a "charmingly tacky font and graphics."
The tiered rollout of the Erangel Classic map will be launching on PC and consoles at different times, which would extend the playtime for those who own the game on multiple platforms. The map will be available from May 14 to May 28 for PCs and May 23 to June 6 for consoles.
The game's developers are most likely hoping that the blast from the past idea will increase the player count similar to what happened with Fortnite.
The implementation of Erangel Classic is also the second such nod that PUBG: Battlegrounds has made towards Fortnite in the past few months, according to Rock Paper Shotgun.
Related Article: Valve's Steam Refund Policy Gets an Overhaul, Loophole Closed