Free-to-Play 'Battleground' Sees 486% Increase in New Users

[Asia Economy Reporter Kang Nahum] Krafton’s analysis shows that the number of new users increased by 486% after its flagship game, 'Battlegrounds,' transitioned to a free-to-play service.

Krafton released the 'User Game Play' trend report on the 24th, based on data collected since the launch of the free-to-play service for Battlegrounds.

The most notable point is the number of new users. Over the past week, the highest number of new users in the game's entire service history joined. Compared to the period when the number of new users was breaking records daily after Battlegrounds’ initial release, there was a 486% increase.

By region, users increased overall in all global countries, with the CIS (Commonwealth of Independent States), Southeast Asia, and South America regions showing a significant growth rate of 537%. In these regions, the number of users surged sharply, causing the number of game matches to increase more than threefold. Individually, Romania, Ukraine, India, and Chile saw a remarkable influx of new users.

Playtime, which reflects user engagement and how long users stay in the game, more than doubled on average across PC and console compared to the week before the free transition. In particular, PlayStation users showed an increase in playtime of up to five times.

With the sharp increase in users, Krafton increased the number of matchmaking slots to enable more detailed matching according to user skill levels. As a result, waiting times for user matchmaking significantly decreased in Oceania, Europe, and South America.

Additionally, with a large increase in new and returning users, the usage rate of the newly added tutorial increased, and the preference for the Erangel map, which appears as the tutorial map, rose again after Taego.

Krafton is holding a 'Check-in Dinner Event' to thank users for their support. Until the 31st, users who play Battlegrounds for more than one hour during the weekend will receive new gifts for three days. Users who participate in the weekly attendance event more than three times will receive the Orbital Vanguard reward.