Xbox Boss Expects PUBG To Be ‘Very Big’ On Xbox One Like ‘Minecraft’

PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is already a huge hit on PC before it is even exited Steam Early Access. The battle royale shooter will land on the Xbox One later this year and Xbox Head Phil Spencer believes it could see Minecraft levels of success.

The development team at Bluehole, Inc has surprised themselves and the rest of the gaming industry following PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) rapid climb to over 11 million copies sold in just six months of early access. Additionally, the game broke a long-standing concurrent player record held by Dota 2 with over 1.3 million individuals playing at the same time.

There are no official numbers, but a Wikipedia entry used to keep track of the best-selling PC games of all time puts PUBG as the top-selling shooter of all time and tied for seventh place with the venerable Garry’s Mod and RollerCoaster Tycoon 3. Minecraft sits on top of the PC charts with over 26 million copies sold. However, the open-world sandbox title has sold more than 120 million copies when you count other platforms. That’s the kind of success Xbox’s Phil Spencer thinks PUBG can see on his console.

When asked on Twitter if he thinks PUBG will see huge success on the Xbox One, Spencer responded with the following.

“Similar to bringing Minecraft to console. Different game obviously but I expect PUBG to be very big on Xbox for many years.”

PUBG’s success and the publishing partnership Bluehole entered into with Microsoft could not come at a more critical time for the Xbox One. A series of delays for AAA exclusives like Crackdown 3 and Sea of Thieves combined with the cancellation of Scalebound and no Halo or Gears of War planned for release this fall leaves the console with a severe dry spell of exclusive titles during the important holiday shopping season and the launch of the Xbox One X.

PUBG could just be the salve for the Xbox One’s woes this holiday season even if it does come to the PlayStation 4 later. Additionally, the game looks to be all the better for the publishing deal with Microsoft. This gives Bluehole extra technical expertise to bring the game to console, help with technology, and access to years of knowledge on how to make a shooter feel right when using a controller.

Do you think PUBG could be a Minecraft-level hit on the Xbox One? Sound off in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Bluehole, Inc]