Published on: 04/01/2023

PUBG Studios, Banger Games to launch Alpha NFT test

PUBG Studios — known for its battle royale game PUBG: Battlegrounds — has announced its latest collaboration with Web3 gaming platform Banger Games to launch an Alpha NFT test in 2023.

Banger provides a sophisticated gaming hub that enables players to have ownership and generate income while gaming. Popular games can integrate NFTs into their respective platforms via Banger’s gaming hub.

At the end of December 2022, Banger announced that players could already sign up for the Alpha test. Upon signing up for the PUBG-Banger Alpha test, players will receive a unique digital collectible. This digital item, however, is non-tradeable.

Banger Chief Product Officer Nicolas Gonzalez said the Alpha test would show PUBG players that Web3 gaming did not require them to make an initial investment. Players also do not need to worry about an altered gaming experience. Gonzalez also added that the company’s previous test runs would help ensure the success of the Alpha NFT test with PUBG.

“As with previous platform test runs, we expect another full house in this ALPHA thanks to our new extra features, and especially our Limited Digital Collectibles that we want our users to own and wear in recognition for being a part of creating Banger from the very beginning,” Gonzalez said.

Players can choose between three gaming modes offered by the PUBG-Banger Alpha test. The first mode is the Kill Frenzy. In this mode, players can make kills by grabbing a car and running over multiple enemies.

The second mode option is called the Ghost Killer. In this mode, players must use a sniper rifle to kill opponents. The farther the shot distance, the higher the score will be, which increases the difficulty level.

PUBG-Banger Alpha test’s third mode is the Mad Max. Players get a license to kill in this mode. They can gain points to rising in the leaderboard. The top 10 results in Mad Max and the other game modes will count toward the game ranking.

PUBG’s NFT integration

PUBG has been looking for NFT integration for the past few years. In 2022, Krafton — PUBG’s parent company — announced a partnership with Solana blockchain. The company said it planned to develop some games on the blockchain. In addition to creating NFT-run games on the blockchain, PUBG also discussed its plan to have a joint investment with Solana in various Web3 projects.

“Through this cooperation, Krafton will acquire the insight needed to accelerate its investment in and output of blockchain-based experiences,” Krafton head of Web3 roundtable Hyungchul Park said.

The recent collaboration with Banger allows PUBG to integrate NFTs into its game franchise without having to build its own metaverse ecosystem, as Banger will handle the blockchain side of the operation. PUBG: Battlegrounds is one of the most popular games making attempts to launch in Web3.

Since its launch, PUBG has gained massive popularity with more than one billion total downloads for its mobile version for iOS and Android. Its PC and console versions have amassed more than 75 million total downloads.

In November 2021, Sensor Tower reported that PUBG generated annual revenue of $7 billion only from in-game purchases. Earlier that year, Krafton launched an initial public offering worth $3.8 billion.

Banger Games’ collaborations

Banger is working with multiple partners, including Microsoft and IBM, to develop its technology. In addition to accommodating an innovative gaming economy, Banger’s tech also provides cloud gaming support and an anti-cheat system.

Before its partnership with PUBG, Banger announced a collaboration with Color Metaverse, a subsidiary of the Nasdaq-listed entertainment company Color Star. The Banger-Color partnership is expected to result in several Web3 games and new tech. Both companies agreed to share platforms and networks to aid the collaboration process.