I remember attending PAX East 2017 last year and visiting the booth for a little game called Player Unknown Battlegrounds (PUBG). I really enjoyed the idea of having a battle royale style game mode in a realistic setting. I had no idea how much of a success it would become later in the year, as it was Steam’s most played game of 2017. With an indie success story such as this one, it’s no surprise that PUBG creator Brendan Greene will be giving the PAX East 2018 “Storytime” Keynote.
Greene had always been inspired by the popular 2000 Japanese cult-hit Battle Royal, and that inspiration is what led to his first successful title with Sony, H1Z1. After H1Z1, Greene left Sony and became part of developer Bluehole, for which he would become the creative director of PUBG. PUBG has been such a success since then, selling over 35 million copies across PC and Xbox One. This is made all the more impressive considering this is an Early Access title.
“Brendan Greene’s story is a fascinating one, and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is only the latest chapter,” said Jerry Holkins, co-founder, Penny Arcade. “At four full days, this year’s PAX East 2018 is shaping up to be the biggest one yet, and we couldn’t be more thrilled to have the founder of the Battle Royale phenomenon kick off the festivities.”
Following Greene’s Keynote, fans of PAX East can also expect to see other big names in the industry such as Blizzard, Markiplier, and Acquisitions Inc. PAX East is right around the corner, and will run from April 5-8. More information can be found on the PAX website.
