Netflix has officially confirmed that a live-action television series based on the popular battle royale game PUBG is in development. Adding to the surprise, Donald Glover, known for his work on Atlanta, is set to write, direct, executive produce, and star in the adaptation.
Stephen Glover, who has written for Atlanta and Swarm, will join as a writer and executive producer. Michael Schaefer, Fam Udeorji, Taeseok Jang, and Sujin Lee are also attached as executive producers.
The PUBG franchise encompasses games developed by Krafton, starting with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in 2017, which popularized the battle royale genre. The game has since been renamed PUBG: Battlegrounds.
PUBG's Enduring Popularity
Despite the passage of time, PUBG: Battlegrounds maintains a substantial player base. On Steam alone, the game consistently averages over 300,000 concurrent players monthly, with its peak concurrent player count reaching over 3.2 million in the past. The success of PUBG is often cited as a major influence on subsequent battle royale titles, including Epic Games' Fortnite.
This PUBG series joins a growing list of video game adaptations on Netflix. The streamer is also developing live-action projects for Assassin's Creed and Gears of War, as well as animated series based on Minecraft, Magic: The Gathering, and Clash of Clans. Netflix is also working on new seasons for Cyberpunk: Edgerunners and Devil May Cry, among others. Additionally, a film adaptation of Crazy Taxi is in the works with Sega.
No release date has been announced for the PUBG series.