Apparently PUBG Corp. has decided they’re actually going to start fixing the immense number of bugs and performance issues that have plagued the game since its launch. A recent announcement on Steam reveals that they have setup a website specifically to show players their progress on fixing different problems. Here’s a breakdown of their announcement and what players can expect in the future from PUBG Corp.
The statement starts:
“Fix the game. This is a phrase we’ve been hearing a lot lately. Since we released PUBG as an Early Access game last year, the game has grown exponentially, and we’ve been fortunate enough to have millions of incredibly passionate players like you. However, we haven’t always been able to meet your expectations. Simply put, the game still has many unresolved issues.
The bottom line is, you’re the reason for our success. You’ve stuck with us, and now it’s time for us to deliver the fixes you’ve been asking for.”
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“This is a phrase we’ve been hearing a lot lately” is a rather strange way of wording the situation. PUBG players have pretty much been spamming the comment section of every update on Steam since Early Access with complaints about the performance of the game. The way they word it is as if they’ve just opened their eyes for the very first time and noticed there is in fact a little section below their announcements where people can comment. Even the statement “we haven’t always been able to meet your expectations” is an awkward way of phrasing things. PUBG is currently sitting at nearly 22,000 reviews on Steam and these reviews are “Mostly Negative.” It begs the question, “When, if ever, has PUBG Corp. been able to meet customer expectations?”
To say the company is “out of touch” may be the biggest understatement of the year.
The announcement then goes on to reveal the following:
‘That’s why today we’re announcing a new campaign called FIX PUBG. For the duration of the campaign, we’ll be entirely focused on addressing problems with the game, including bugs, long-needed quality-of-life improvements, and fundamental performance improvements. Throughout this campaign we’ll share specifics about what we’re working on and the expected time it’ll take to address the issues. Then we’ll deliver on our promises.”
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The idea here is good, albeit incredibly late. PUBG Corp. is attempting a strategy here that up until now they’ve never tried before – being transparent.
The website has several interactive tables that indicate what the PUBG team is working on and when they expect to have each individual issue fixed.
Aside from the roadmap, there’s also a “Fix Log” section that breaks down each issue in greater detail.
While this particular attempt to fix the game’s bugs and performance issues is commendable, it honestly shouldn’t need to exist in the first place – particularly this far after the game’s official launch date. Whatever happened to releasing games that worked as intended at launch?
Some might believe that had PUBG Corp. delivered a quality product from the get go, they might be in a better position today with regards to their biggest competitor Fortnite. In my opinion, PUBG Corp. has demonstrated too many times that they care more about making quick short-term revenue than anything else. Epic Games, on the other hand, seem to have a solid idea of what it takes for long term sustainability. Most impressive of all is their ability to make fixes immediately to mistakes made. Sure, they have their own share of blunders, but unlike PUBG Corp., they address them pretty quickly. Just look at the difference between each week of the Summer Skirmish events. Forbes writer Paul Tassi joked that the difference between Week 3’s event from Week 2 and 1 was 300% and 10,000% respectively. Each week was successively better than the last by a huge margin.
For this reason, even if the game ran smoothly from the beginning, I highly doubt that PUBG Corp. would be able to hold onto whatever competitive edge such a situation would have afforded them. The company just doesn’t seem to have what it takes to best Epic Games. This “Fix PUBG” attempt is merely a small band aid on a wound that’s already festering – too little and too late.
Featured Image Source: Steam
