PUBG: Battlegrounds' Patch 22.1 is here for PC players and bear lovers
Something to bear in mind.
PUBG: Battlegrounds' Patch 22.1 is here for PC players, and as well as ushering in a number of fixes and QoL improvements, it's bringing something else, too: bears.
That's right. Just as we're recovering from the grizzlies in Elden Ring, PUBG: Battlegrounds publisher Krafton is welcoming a "lumbering pack of malice", too - polar bears.
"Bears have moved onto Vikendi's icy battlegrounds but they’re sheltering from the blizzard and hibernating for winter," the team teases. "Players can invade their caves for valuable loot, but we all know what happens when you poke a sleeping bear."
Whilst bears can be killed, they can easily kill you, too, and will attack unprovoked if you get too close. New signs should give you an indication if you're straying into their territory, but only in Vikendi for now.
Moonlight Mode also makes a return in Vikendi, too, and Deston is back in regular rotation, although at the expense of Taego, which is "taking some time off". Don't mourn for long, though; the team has plans to "reduce the time between map rotations later this year". Oh, and there's an all-new 4x thermal scope on the way as well, making it "perfect for spotting targets in Vikendi's darkened nightscape and whiteout blizzards". It'll be a world-spawn item, so keep an eye out.
Finally, don't forget that it's a fresh ranked season, so the PC leaderboard has now been reset.
Console players can dip into the action a week later when the update goes live later this week, on 22nd/23rd February, depending upon where in the world you are.
Krafton recently revealed that it's set to launch its "first Canadian AAA game studio". Led by former Ubisoft game director, Patrik Méthé - "a prominent figure with over 20 years of experience in leadership roles on some of the world’s most renowned franchises" – the studio is set on hiring 150 people over the next three years, including positions in animation, programming, and HR.
Producer Benoit Frappier, game director Frédéric Duroc, and technology director Martin Paradis have already joined Méthé on this new venture.