PUBG ending PS4 support on November 13, will only be playable on current-gen consoles

PUBG is ending support on PlayStation 4 and Xbox One on November 13, Krafton today announced.

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One of the biggest live service games is leaving last-gen consoles behind so it can continue to grow on Gen 9 systems. Krafton has made the decision to discontinue PUBG on PS4 and Xbox One, saying that this decision will deliver a "more stable gameplay environment." The teams want to streamline content delivery on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S, and both Sony and Microsoft are already working on next-generation console hardware. That's a lot of technical debt to carry forward, so Krafton shed the weight well after gen 9's introduction in 2020.

PUBG players on PS4 will need to re-download the game to play on PS5, whereas Xbox One players will receive the Xbox Series X/S version automatically via Smart Delivery.

Starting November 13, PUBG Console will be supported only on PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.

This shift is a necessary step toward aligning PUBG Console with current-gen consoles. To provide our players with a more stable gameplay environment on console and ensure a smoother, more seamless experience with future updates, we've decided to transition to current-gen consoles. Following this transition, console players will see improved visuals and more stable frame rates. In addition, we expect to reduce ongoing crash issues through memory-related optimizations.

As part of this transition, we will be ending support for PlayStation 4 and Xbox One.

This was not a decision made lightly. It comes after long and careful consideration, in pursuit of the continued growth and long-term future of PUBG Console.

The news comes shortly after another gigantic live game, Genshin Impact, also announced that it was being discontinued on the PS4 (after making billions of dollars, of course).

Interestingly enough, Sony has recently said that it intends to carry the PlayStation 4 into the future, but hasn't said for how long. Could it be possible that Sony is working with developers to instigate a forced migration to Gen 9? The PS5 generation represents much higher profit potential for Sony, and the PS4 has already gone past its peak saturation levels.

Here's what Sony said about the PS4 back in June:

"...We've reduced traditional cyclicality by establishing a large ecosystem of players across both the PS5 and PS4 generations, which provides recurring revenues.

"This has driven an overall high and stable level of spend on content and services, which by the way now constitutes 2/3rds of our revenue, providing a consistent, predictable, and profitable base of our revenue.

"But our PS4 players are still active and spending as well.

"So by providing players with increasing options of how to access the platform, we're able to better target different play patterns and monetization profiles of different customer segments.

"As we continue to drive multi-generational ecosystem into the future, we'll provide new ways for players to access the platform and experience our content and services."