PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds microtransactions lead to first major fan backlash

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds fans are upset, and they are letting the world know it on forums like Reddit and Steam. Yesterday, Bluehole announced that microtransactions are coming to the last-player-standing shooter that’s become a PC gaming phenomenon. This enraged many people because Battlegrounds is still in Early Access and is a premium-priced game. With the development studio’s game finding a massive audience on Steam, it was only a matter of time before it wound up doing something controversial, and it looks like that time is here.

The first microtransactions in Battlegrounds involve a new crate that players earn through playing the game in the weeks leading up to the Gamescom fan event in Germany, which starts August 24. Bluehole is planning an invitational tournament for Battlegrounds at Gamescom, and it plans to fund the prize pool for that competition by selling keys for $2.50 a piece to unlock the Gamescom Invitational Crates. These will feature limited-time exclusive cosmetic items that players can put on their characters or sell on the Steam marketplace. Bluehole plans to donate any leftovers to charity. After the tournament’s finals on August 27, all cosmetic crates in Battlegrounds will once again open for free.