PUBG developers provided details of upcoming region merge

KRAFTON shared the detailed plan of the upcoming region merge scheduled for the next update. It will be released at October 10 for PC and October 17 for consoles.

Hello players,

At the end of August, we notified you about the upcoming region merge scheduled for the October update.

Today, we’ll go over the specific details of the merge and address the additional questions many of you have raised since the previous Dev Letter.

Target Regions

PC

AS (Asia) + KR/JP (Korea/Japan) → AS

OC (Oceania) + SEA (Southeast Asia) → SEA

NA (North America) + SA (South America) → AMER

Console

NA (North America) + SA (South America) → AMER

AS (Asia) + OC (Oceania) → AS

After the merge, the services provided for each region will be as follows.

PC

Party Types & Perspectives per Mode

AS

Normal Match

FPP Solo, Duo, Squad

TPP Solo, Duo, Squad

Map selection available

Casual Mode

TPP Solo, Squad

Ranked

FPP Squad

TPP Solo, Squad

SEA

Normal Match

FPP Solo, Duo, Squad

TPP Solo, Duo, Squad

Map selection available

Casual Mode

TPP Solo, Squad

Ranked

FPP Squad

TPP Squad

AMER

Normal Match

FPP Solo, Duo, Squad

TPP Solo, Duo, Squad

Map selection unavailable (random map)

Ranked

FPP Squad

TPP Squad

Arcade remains unchanged.

Career

The following categories will be retained.

All player stats, including Weapon stats and Match History.

Notable season records from Ranked matches will be preserved, and if your best season record was set before the region merge, the previous region information will still be shown.

All Nameplates, Emblems, Medals, and Poses you own will remain available on the Edit Profile page.

Reputation levels will also be maintained.

The Ranked leaderboard system will also remain the same as before, displaying only the top 500 players per region. However, as regions merge, the number of players competing for a spot in the Top 500 within a region will increase.

Customize

All items in each Customize tab will be preserved, including the currently equipped settings.

Hideout

The amount of Scraps and Contraband Coupons will be retained.

Workshop

Owned Chests, Keys, Key Fragments, Credits, and Tokens will be preserved.

Store

All Store items and prices will remain the same.

G-COIN packages and prices will also stay the same; however, adjustments may occur due to exchange rates based on your Steam account's region setting.

Event Center

Participation in global events will remain unchanged.

Some regional events may vary depending on the region you are logged into.

Console

Party Types & Perspectives per Mode

AMER

Normal Match

FPP Solo, Duo, Squad

TPP Solo, Duo, Squad

Map selection unavailable (random map)

Casual Mode

TPP Solo, Squad

Ranked

TPP Squad

APAC

Normal Match

TPP Solo, Duo, Squad

Map selection unavailable (random map)

Casual Mode

TPP Squad

Ranked

TPP Squad

EU

The EU region is not included in the merge, but a new TPP Solo mode for Casual Mode will be available.

Arcade remains unchanged.

Career, Customize, Hideout, Workshop, Store

These features will be maintained the same way as on PC.

Event Center

Participation in global events will remain unchanged.

Some regional events may vary depending on the player region.

The developers also addressed the additional questions players have raised since the first news about the merge:

(For AS only) How will the regional map rotation be affected after the merge?

With the merge of the AS and KR/JP regions, the map rotation will also be adjusted. Sanhok will be included as a fixed map, while Taego and Rondo will be rotation maps.

The choice of fixed and rotation maps was made based on various metrics, including past preference surveys and map select/leave rates for both regions. Among the maps, Sanhok demonstrated overall high numbers, which led to its selection as a fixed map.

Regarding Taego and Rondo, since many players enjoy these maps, we will be making adjustments to increase their presence in the map rotation.

More details about map rotations will be shared through the monthly Patch Notes.

(For West only) Is there a chance that the random map regions will switch to map selection after the merge?

The current map service system is based on the available modes and player numbers in each region.

If the player count is insufficient relative to the number of modes and maps available, the bot ratio may increase. As a result, regions that previously had random map services will unfortunately continue to use this system after the merge.

However, map service plans may change depending on the circumstances following the merge.

Will there be additional changes to the party types and perspectives for each mode after the merge?

With the region merge, our goal is to provide as many party types and perspectives as possible to each region.

However, similar to the map service, the number of players in each region significantly influences the available party types and perspectives. In some regions, the services offered may also change based on the circumstances following the merge.

Is there a chance of additional region merges in the future?

At this time, there are no plans for further region merges. If the situation changes, we will inform you through a separate announcement.

There are concerns regarding ping changes due to the region merge. Could you provide more details?

We acknowledge players' concerns about ping changes, and the PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS team views this issue as highly significant.

As mentioned in the previous Dev Letter, the ping settings have been designed to minimize latency differences within each region as much as possible.

However, factors such as network providers and internet speed may lead to ping fluctuations based on each player's network environment. Therefore, we will continue to monitor and enhance the situation even after the merge.