PUBG Players Incorrectly Banned Due to Bug

Like other popular battle royale games, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (PUBG) occasionally gets updates targeting random bugs or other issues that affect gameplay. PUBG's 10.3 update went live in February with little issue, introducing new map updates, improvements to the Reputation system, and allowing players to emote with squad members. However, sometimes updates don't work quite as smoothly as planned. A recent client update for some PUBG PC players introduced a bug that got them temporarily banned from the game.

Most of the players affected were banned incorrectly, and this doesn't reflect PUBG support's usual efforts concerning bans. While PUBG has had to deal with cheaters in the past, the original game doesn't suffer from nearly the volume of cheaters as PUBG Mobile. PUBG Mobile has banned over 2 million players in one week on multiple occasions for common cheating methods like auto-aim hacks and wall hacks. Developer PUBG Corporation was clearly not expecting these incorrect bans during the client update, and it initially struggled to find a quality fix.

The PUBG Support Twitter account addressed the incorrect bans today by confirming they were in the process of being fixed. The developer stated that the bans were due to a "file validation error," and ensured players they would be removed in a timely manner. Once the bans were reversed, affected players still took a hit to their Reputation scores. In response, PUBG developers took a few more hours to correct the affected reputations and offered players a game coupon to compensate.

Using the game coupon might be harder than it looks, however. Season 10 of PUBG ends today, along with the current Survivor Pass. Players still have a Season 10 grace period until March 31 to collect earned rewards, though it is unclear if the Survivor Pass coupon is exclusive to Season 10. Some players may choose to wait to redeem the five levels until a new Survivor Pass is released with the March 31 arrival of PUBG Season 11. PUBG Corporation hasn't said when the Season 11 Survivor Pass will release, so players might want to play it safe and redeem as soon as possible.

PUBG Season 11 will mark the first new season for the game released in 2021, as Season 10 kicked off in December 2020. The new season will likely see PUBG's continued success, though the franchise is gearing up for bigger things in the future. Last month brought fans two surprises concerning upcoming PUBG games, one of which was the officially announcement of PUBG: New State. The other is the rumored PUBG 2, supposedly coming to consoles and PC in 2022 if leaked information proves correct.

The battle royale genre has evolved on the multiplayer FPS formula by allowing everyone in the game to start from the same place. No matter where the player drops in Apex Legends or Call of Duty: Warzone, they'll be scavenging for supplies just as much as anyone on the other side of the map. One of the originals that defined the genre, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG, allowed players to squad up and grab loot in a Hunger Games style race to be the last team standing. While it was once the star of the genre, PUBG has lost its popularity with the new and innovative battle royale titles hitting the market. Developer PUBG Corporation is likely hoping its new entry, PUBG: New State, will be able to recapture that audience.