The Battle Royale: the ultimate test of skill and endurance. A 1 vs 100 match where one mistake means death. The stone in which you can carve out your legacy. Whilst the genre has existed for some time now, it wasn’t until the cataclysmic explosion that was PUBG that the genre took the world by storm. With its recent release on Xbox One and PS4, Switch owners around the world have been waiting for the long overdue announcement that the genre defining game will be gracing their console.
Unfortunately the Switch has been noticeably light when it comes to Battle Royales. In fact only Fortnite has taken the leap over to our lil’ system. Whilst Fortnite might be a fine game, and it may well scratch an itch for some people, others just want a smidge more realism. Heck, some people might just want to pop a couple caps without a 20 story apartment complex appearing out of nowhere. The distinct lack of an alternative is very much felt. If Fortnite can run on the Switch, so can PUBG…right?
Well not exactly. I imagine the main reason we haven’t heard anything is due to the hardware limitations of the Switch. Fortnite is a great looking game, but its map is significantly smaller and its stylised visuals are much easier to run than the gritty realism of PUBG. The nitro-injected Xbox One X and PS4 Pro oftentimes struggle to adequately run the behemoth – even high-end PC’s fall short. So whilst the Switch might have a surprising amount of power, especially when it comes to ports, it is very unlikely it could step up to the mark.
‘But Toast!’ I hear you cry, ‘PUBG is on phones and tablets!’. Calm your baps, because I’m getting to that. The obvious solution to this is porting PUBG Mobile. Unlike its big brother, the mobile version runs like a nose in winter. They could literally slap on a higher resolution, sharpen up some jaggies, throw in some controller support and call it a day. The game would skyrocket into the stratosphere within seconds.
PUBG Mobile is currently a F2P title on phones, but lets be real here, they could put a £10-£20 price tag on it and people would be chomping at the bit to get their grubby mitts on it. Who doesn’t want to drop in, nab some poultry, hop off the bus at the wrong stop and get lost on the commute home? Fricken nobody, that’s who.
Look, I’m not going to lie PUBG Corp. This idea is awesome-sauce. I fail to see any negatives. When you do get around to releasing a Switch port I fully expect a mention in the credits. Whilst we are at it, I wouldn’t turn down an honorary title within your company. Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone. See you in Pochinki guys.
Games With Toasty 