E3 was surprisingly lacking in battle royale titles. Sure there was the whole Fortnite Pro AM, and Battlefield V had its battle royale mode announced, but there wasn’t the sheer amount of battle royale action we perhaps expected going into the expo. Even PUBG Corp were pretty quiet, as their trailer for PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds at the Microsoft conference was essentially a celebration of the game’s progress up until now – until the very last few seconds that is.
The trailer ended with a very small tease that got many fans excited. It showed a person walking through some snow, literally for three seconds before cutting away. That was it, no gameplay, no names, no official confirmation of what it actually is. But of course we all know that this is alluding to a new snow map, which is something many fans have wanted for some time now.
We were told a while back that an Adriatic map was coming, and that it could feature mountainous areas, so this could be that map – after all, mountains can get pretty snowy – or this could be something totally new. With details scarce, we’ve come up with what we’d like to see in an ideal snowbound PUBG map. Here’s our full wishlist.
A new size
We’ve seen over the last few weeks that the smaller size of Sanhok has totally changed the way we all play PUBG. The faster paced games that have way more action and very different fights has really freshened up the game. That’s why we think the new snow map should be a different size yet again. Going too much bigger than 8x8 would probably be a bit too much, and we wouldn’t want to see this awesome setting wasted on a tiny map, so perhaps a 6x6 map would make sense here.
That would provide a nice middle ground between the other three maps, and would offer a pretty good solution to most of the criticisms people have between the map sizes. It would still allow for a slower style of play, but also also guarantee a few more fights and quite possibly a quicker round time. This sort of size could work really well.
Trackable footsteps
There are some people that believe trackable footsteps are already confirmed, based on what we saw in the trailer, and while we would love that to be the case, we have to think that may be a little hopeful. Just think of the extra strain that would put on PCs and servers if they have to track 100 players’ footsteps, and display them too.
If it's technically possible, then having trackable footsteps in snowy areas is a must. Being able to figure out where an opponent is, based on their tracks, adds an extra level of strategy to the game, and could lead to some awesome mind games. There could even be some kind of loot that reduces their visibility, or removes them entirely. It’s an exciting addition that many may overlook, but could definitely shake up the game for the better.
New camo options
The Ghillie Suit has always been pretty useful in PUBG’s current maps, but pretending to be a human-shaped bush in a snow setting might be rather difficult. However, the idea's still solid, and a super rare item that gives you some camouflage would make taking risks to nab it worth it.
This could be as simple as some kind of white cloak or snow jacket, that you can put on to make your back blend in with the snow – or what we would love to see is a full snowman costume. Just think about it: if there were snowmen dotted around the map, then you stand still and pretend to be one, no one would ever know. It’s almost like being a bush in Fortnite. Sure, it might be a little clowny for PUBG’s style, but just think of the highlights that would come from it.
Wildlife
One of the things about PUBG that's always felt a little strange, is that the maps have never really had any kind of wildlife on them – and we think that sticking a few creatures in would make for some interesting new gameplay challenges. For this snow map, arctic foxes could run around, possibly baiting people into taking a shot at them and giving away their position. Bears could roam around and take swipes at anyone that gets too close, while narwhals could swim the ocean, impaling anyone who dares take a dip.
Taking them down could even offer rewards, such as a health boost for eating them, or maybe some kind of camouflage by taking their skins. This might be heading a little too much into the survival game style of things, but it certainly would make for a cool new mechanic.
Snowmobiles
The Cliffhanger mission in Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2 is one of the most iconic moments in gaming history, and that’s all thanks to the epic snowmobile section at the end of the level. Everything about it is just super cool. Now imagine that kind of set piece, but in a 100-player battle royale. Yeah, that would be as awesome as it sounds, no doubt about it.
Vehicles are pretty standard in the world of PUBG, but the snowmobile would by far be the coolest one yet. Imagine climbing through a snowy peak, as you fire into a squad trying to shoot you down, while your duo partner is on the back unloading with full force into them. Even just thinking about it gets us pretty excited, and just think of the cool stunts you could pull off with one. This simply has to happen.