When PUBG Will Get A New Map

News has been slim concerning future updates for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, but it looks like the team is finally gearing up to break that silence. They've got some new features on the way for 2018, as well as the usual dose of tweaks and fixes. Oh, and it's probably worth noting that a new map is also in development.

That last item is likely the most exciting for many PUBG players, even though the game's second map only released a couple of months ago and most players still haven't had time to fully explore it. Still, based on a recent update via the game's Steam blog, the team is hard at work on some new features, presumably due out in the next several months, including a new location.

In other words, we're only about a month out, tops, before the curtain gets pulled back on the 2018 road map for PUBG updates. The announcement points out that there are a number of reasons it has taken so long for the team to break the silence. While they don't go into all of the details, it is made clear that anti-cheating measures have been a big part of the equation. Sadly, development on the game had to pump the breaks a bit in order for the team to get a handle on in-game abusers. If you're curious why we just can't have nice things, it's because of dirty, rotten cheaters gumming up the works.

All of that aside, it sounds like PUBG fans have a lot to look forward to, especially a new location to explore. Through almost the entire early access phase of the game, players were restricted to just a single map. Sure, that map was massive and highly detailed, but its design also had a big impact on how folks played the game and what tactics were most successful. Even so, it certainly says a lot about how solid the game's formula is if PUBG managed to become the biggest breakout hit of 2017 with only a single map and mode to enjoy.

The game's second map finally arrived on PC in December and, since the new map isn't being revealed until next month, we wouldn't be surprised if we're looking at a summer date for actual launch. Still, that means players will have plenty of time to become super familiar with that second map before having the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of a fresh location.

Outside of that, the announcement states that the team is working to make the "battle royale experience" more extensive, as well as making improvements to modifications to make gameplay both deeper and more realistic. Since PUBG's major competitor, Fortnite: Battle Royale, is sticking to a path that's more cartoony in terms of aesthetics and more limited in terms of stock guns with no modifications, it's probably a wise idea for PUBG to double down on the aspects that help set it apart.