Winning a Game of the Year award is a prestigious honor, and one that very few video game developers will ever experience. Considering this, one would imaginePlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundscreator Brendan Greene would be excited that his early access battle royale game wasnominated for Game of the Year at The Game Awards, but he actually thinks other games deserve the nod more.
While Greene is undoubtedly proud of the work he and others have done onPlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, he thinks that other 2017 releases are simply better. In particular, Greene feels as though eitherThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildorHorizon: Zero Dawnshould win Game of the Year over his game and the other titles nominated.
Greene praised bothThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the WildandHorizon: Zero Dawnas “masterpieces of game design and storytelling.” He continued, “They’re just wonderful, wonderful games. I think they will probably win it. I would hope they would win it.” However, even though Greene may not necessarily want to win a Game of the Year award over other titles that launched in 2017, that doesn’t mean his game won’t win it regardless.
Even thoughPlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundsis still in early access at the time of this writing, there’s no denying the influence it has had on the industry. The game has quickly risen through the ranks on Steam, with sales passing 15 million units at last count.PUBGhas shattered Steam records previously held by games likeDota 2, and has impressed Microsoft to the point that the company has secured it as aconsole exclusive for Xbox One.
Other developers have taken notice ofPUBG’s success, mimicking its gameplay features in an attempt to cash-in on the battle royale craze.Fortnitefrom Epic Games, for instance, has borrowed so manyPlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundsgameplay elements that there has been talk ofBluehole Studio seeking legal actionagainst the company.
So while Greene may not be thrilled at the idea ofPlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundswinning Game of the Year, the success ofPUBGand the impact it’s had on the industry can’t be ignored. Some may scoff at it winning GOTY over heavy hitters likeThe Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,Horizon: Zero Dawn, orSuper Mario Odyssey, but there’s no denying that the game has a chance of winning come December 7th.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegroundsis currently in early access on PC, but will have its full release at some point in December. The game enters early access on Xbox One beginning December 12th.
