PUBG: BLINDSPOT News

[p]Hello, this is Sequoia Yang from the ARC Team.[/p][p][/p][p]Thanks to your continued support, PUBG: BLINDSPOT Early Access has already entered its third week since Feb 5! How time flies, right?[/p][p]We truly appreciate everyone who’s been playing with us. It’s been a busy month: a lot has happened, and a lot has been planned for the future, and we’ll be sharing a more detailed recap soon.[/p][p][/p][p]Today though, we’d like to walk you through the Competitive rewards which are to be included in the soon upcoming March update.[/p][p]In addition, we’ll be showing you a quick preview of the next Competitive season. Competitive has been one of the most talked-about topics recently, so we hope you’ll find this update helpful.[/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h2]\[Early Access Season 1 – Competitive Mode Rewards][/h2][p]As previously announced, Early Access Season 1 will come to a close with the March 12 (Thu) update, and Competitive rewards will be distributed at that time.[/p][p][/p][p]Despite some early growing pains during the first season of Competitive, many of you continued to enjoy ranked play sessions, and we’d like to thank you for that.[/p][p]In addition to the previously announced rewards for players who reached Gold rank or higher in Competitve, we’ll also be granting additional rewards to all players who completed 10 Competitive placement matches![/p][p][/p][p]These rewards are meant to show our appreciation for those who jumped into Competitive early and shared valuable feedback during Early Access. As always, Early Access is about the team listening to what you, the player, has to say about the game, and how you want it to grow.[/p][p]Players who qualify will receive special profile badges as a token of recognition. This item can be kept, and used as for your profile customization, even after the official launch in the future.[/p][p][/p][p]If you haven’t tried Competitive yet, this could be a great opportunity to complete your placement matches before the season ends. Jump in now, and become eligible to for the rewards![/p][p][/p][p] [/p][h2]\[Early Access Season 2 – Competitive Preview][/h2][p] [/p][p]As you already know, following the March 12 (Thu) update coming soon, Early Access Season 2 will begin.[/p][p]All Competitive MMR, ranks, and RP will be reset, and everyone will start fresh with new placement matches.[/p][p][/p][h3]5-Player Parties Coming to Competitive Mode![/h3][p]Starting in Season 2, we will officially allow 5-player parties in Competitive mode, reflecting strong requests particularly from players in Western regions.[/p][p]You will soon be able to queue and play Competitive with more friends.[/p][p]We also understand there have been concerns about competitive integrity, so we carefully reviewed both player feedback and internal data before making this decision.[/p][p]Here’s what we found:[/p]

• [p]When two teams have the same total team MMR, there is almost no meaningful difference in win rate between solo-queue teams and full 5-player parties.[/p]
• [p]After reviewing additional datasets, we confirmed that expected win rates are primarily determined by overall team MMR, not whether the team is premade or not.[/p]
• [p]When solo queues were matched against full 5-player premade groups, the experience was often unpleasant, as seen in our data. Due to the broader MMR range permitted for pre-made matching in Unranked matches, the actual MMR of the premade group tended to exceed that of the solo player's team.[/p]
• [p]However, in Competitive matches, permitted MMR ranges between teams will be much tighter than in Unranked matches, which will result in a more statistically fair and pleasant gameplay.[/p]

[p]That said, because Competitive matchmaking operates within tighter MMR ranges, high-ranked 5-player parties may experience longer queue times or occasional matchmaking instability. We appreciate your understanding in advance on this issue, which we’re always looking into.[/p][p][/p][p]We’re also reviewing other potential differences between Unranked and Competitive modes and will share further updates once decisions are finalized.[/p][p] [/p][p]Thank you again to everyone who continues to participate.[/p][p]We’ll keep working to make PUBG: BLINDSPOT even better with your feedback.[/p][p][/p][p]Thank you, and hope everyone has a great weekend! [/p][p]ARC Team[/p]

[p]※ The scheduled maintenance has been successfully completed. We sincerely appreciate your patience during this time.[/p][p][/p][p]Hello players.[/p][p]Scheduled maintenance will take place on Tuesday, February 24, for the Asia & KR/JP server integration and balance adjustments.[/p][p]Please note that game access will be temporarily unavailable during the maintenance period. Please check the schedule below.[/p][p] [/p][p]\[Maintenance Schedule][/p]

• [p]February 24, 2026[/p]
• [p]Duration: 1 hour[/p]
  • [p]KST/JST: 16:00–17:00[/p]
  • [p]AEST: 17:00–18:00[/p]
  • [p]CET: 08:00–09:00[/p]
  • [p]UTC: 07:00–08:00[/p]
  • [p]EST: 02:00–03:00[/p]
  • [p]PT: 23:00–00:00 (Feb 23–24)[/p]

[p] [/p][p]\[Update Details][/p]

• [p]Asia Server Integration[/p]
  • [p]The KR/JP and CN/Asia servers will be merged into a single Asia server to improve matchmaking quality.[/p]
  • [p]After maintenance, players from KR/JP and CN/Asia will be automatically transferred to the Asia server. No action is required.[/p]
• [p]Weapon Balance Adjustments[/p]
  • [p]Zen’s Primary Weapon - Mk14[/p]
    • [p]Rate of Fire (RPM): 250 → 300 (Increased)[/p]
    • [p]Wood Material Penetration: 0.9 → 0.8 (Decreased)[/p]
    • [p]As a result, wooden materials will now be destroyed more quickly when fired upon with the Mk14 compared to before.[/p]
  • [p]Karnival's Primary Weapon - AKM[/p]
    • [p]Damage: 47 → 42 (Decreased)[/p]
    • [p]Karnival’s Secondary Weapon: Sawed-Off (shotgun) → Makarov (pistol)[/p]
    • [p]The AKM still eliminates enemies with four body shots, but AKM combat now also has a higher chance to cause DBNO (downed) situations. The AKM also has reduced wall penetration efficiency.[/p]
• [p]Shooting Stability Adjustment[/p]
  • [p]Weapon sway caused by stance transitions (standing/crouching) has been adjusted by general weapon type, increasing by approximately 17–38%.[/p]
  • [p]Repeated stance switching during combat may feel less stable.[/p]
• [p]Matchmaking Wait Time Improvements[/p]
  • [p]Additional improvements have been implemented to reduce matchmaking wait times.[/p]
  • [p]If a match is not formed quickly, the system will now expand the player search range more efficiently, shortening the overall time required to find a match.[/p]

[p] [/p][p]\[Important Notes][/p]

• [p]Maintenance may end early or be extended depending on circumstances. Any changes will be announced via an update to this notice.[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Detailed patch information is available in the Developer Notes.[/p][p]👉 Go to Developer Notes[/p][p] [/p][p]We’ll continue improving the game to provide a more stable and enjoyable experience.[/p][p] [/p][p]Thank you.
ARC Team[/p]

[p]Hello players,[/p][p]This is Sequoia Yang from the ARC Team.[/p][p] [/p][p]After the Lunar New Year holiday, we’re glad to reconnect with you. Thank you for your patience during the recent quiet period.[/p][p]Today, we’d like to share a preview of the key changes coming in the February 24 update, tomorrow.[/p][p]This update focuses on the following:[/p]

• [p]Agent balance adjustments[/p]
• [p]Combat feel improvements[/p]
• [p]Server integration,[/p]
• [p]Matchmaking improvements, and more.[/p]

[p] [/p][p]Based on your feedback, we’ve refined our direction and made adjustments to ensure the changes are clearly noticeable in actual gameplay.[/p][p] [/p][h2]\[Agent Balance Adjustments][/h2][h3]Zen’s Mk14 Will Be Buffed[/h3][p]Zen’s Primary Weapon, the Mk14, was originally designed to excel at long range while remaining viable at mid-range through fast follow-up shots.[/p][p]However, throughout testing, we found that its mid-range performance could become overly dominant, making balance tuning difficult.[/p][p]As a result, in the current version, we’ve received feedback that Zen’s Mk14 feels less rewarding to use and lacks a clearly defined strength.[/p][p]To address this, we are making the following changes:[/p]

• [p]Increased Rate of Fire[/p]
• [p]Reduced penetration against wooden walls → Increased damage dealt to wooden walls[/p]

[p]Previously, higher penetration allowed the weapon to deal greater damage to enemies behind walls, while dealing relatively low damage to the wall itself. By lowering penetration, we have adjusted it to instead strengthen its ability to break wooden walls.[/p][p]With these changes, we aim to reinforce the Mk14’s fast semi-auto firing (“rapid click”) identity and further solidify Zen as a tactical option capable of disrupting enemies through angle control.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Karnival’s Power Will Be Reduced[/h3][p]Karnival is an Agent designed with strong breaching capability.[/p][p]Accordingly, Karnival’s Primary Weapon, the AKM, was originally designed to feel harder to control during full-auto fire.[/p][p]However, in the current version, the integration of recoil bounce into the Shooting Stability system has resulted in the AKM performing more consistently and powerfully at close range than intended.[/p][p]To address this, the following adjustments will be made:[/p]

• [p]Reduced AKM Damage[/p]
  • [p]Overall 1v1 TTK will remain largely unchanged,[/p]
  • [p]Effectiveness against legs and through penetration shots will be noticeably reduced[/p]
• [p]Secondary Weapon Change: Sawed-off Shotgun → Makarov Pistol[/p]

[p]Rather than further reinforcing Karnival’s already strong breaching capability, we are adjusting his secondary weapon to a more standard loadout. This will help clarify his role identity while reducing overall pressure potential.[/p][p] [/p][h3]Crouching Penalty Will Be Increased[/h3][p]Previously, transitioning between standing and crouching already applied additional weapon sway and a Shooting Stability penalty, but in most situations the impact was not strongly felt.[/p][p]In this update:[/p]

• [p]Weapon sway increase during stance transitions will be significantly raised[/p]

[p]As a result, rapidly changing stance before firing or repeatedly crouching and standing during engagements will more clearly reduce accuracy.[/p][p]We will continue reviewing feedback regarding crouch and low-stance combat to ensure players can clearly recognize the system while minimizing unnecessary frustration.[/p][p]Detailed numerical values for each adjustment will be available in the official patch notes.[/p][p] [/p][h3]KR/JP and CN/Asia Servers Will Be Integrated into a Single “Asia” Server[/h3][p]To provide a smoother and more stable matchmaking experience, the Korea/Japan and China/Asia servers will be merged into a single Asia server.[/p][p]Our analysis shows:[/p]

• [p]For players connecting from Korea and Japan, connecting to the China/Asia server showed minimal noticeable latency differences[/p]
• [p]However, in China, connections to the Korea/Japan server frequently resulted in disconnect-related match cancellations[/p]

[p]To ensure faster and more stable matchmaking, particularly during lower population hours, we have decided to proceed with server integration.[/p][p]We are also aware of similar issues reported in certain European regions when connecting across servers, and we continue to explore solutions.[/p][p]We recognize concerns regarding the recent decline in concurrent users. The traffic drop observed last week followed the conclusion of Steam PvP Fest, which reduced platform visibility. We take concerns about extended matchmaking times seriously and will continue working to secure and stabilize traffic to ensure reliable service.[/p][p]Please also understand that some degree of traffic fluctuation may occur as part of normal live service operations.[/p][p] [/p][h2]\[Additional Adjustments to Reduce Matchmaking Wait Times][/h2][p]Currently, matchmaking operates as follows:[/p]

• [p]During high population periods → Searches within a narrow skill range[/p]
• [p]During low population periods → Expands the search range gradually as wait time increases[/p]

[p]In response to feedback that matchmaking wait times felt excessively long, we will adjust the timing at which the acceptable MMR range expands, allowing it to widen sooner.[/p][p]With this change, we expect players to find matches more quickly, even during off-peak hours.[/p][p]Additionally, we have identified cases in certain regions where matchmaking does not complete when MMR is extremely high or low, or when parties consist primarily of high-MMR players. We will be implementing minor adjustments aimed at alleviating these issues.[/p][p] [/p][p]As we conclude, we look forward to sharing more update news with you soon.[/p][p]The next content update, scheduled for March 12, is currently being finalized, including details about competitive season rewards. We will share more information as soon as it is confirmed.[/p][p]We appreciate your continued interest and support for PUBG: BLINDSPOT’s first major content update, coming March 12. Mark your calendars![/p][p] [/p][p]And as always, thank you for playing with us.[/p][p]ARC Team[/p]

[p]Hello players.
[/p][p]Following today’s Competitive Mode update, we have carefully reviewed the various feedback you shared regarding the operation format of Early Access Season 1’s Competitive mode.[/p][p]Our original plan was to run this season’s Competitive as Solos-only while continuing technical validation to ensure overall matchmaking fairness.
[/p][p]After today’s patch, however, it became clear that teaming up with friends and maintaining smooth matchmaking flow are also important parts of the Competitive experience.[/p][p]Based on this, we’ve applied an additional update to adjust the matchmaking format: Competitive now supports Duos as well.
[/p][p]This update has been applied without any separate server downtime.
Please make sure to update the client and run the latest version of the game which supports Duos.[/p][p] [/p][p]\[Patch Details][/p]

• [p]Competitive Mode: Solo & Duo Queues Now Available[/p]
  • [p]Competitive Mode now supports Solo and 2-player party (Duo) queues.[/p]
  • [p]Parties of 3 or more players remain restricted. This allows us to balance matchmaking speed with competitive fairness.[/p]

[p] [/p][p]You can find more detailed development insights and information about the game’s future direction on the PUBG: BLINDSPOT Discord.[/p][p]🔗 View Dev Notes[/p][p] [/p][p]We’ll continue refining Competitive Mode throughout Early Access based on your feedback and performance data.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]Thank you for playing with us.[/p][p]ARC Team[/p]

[p]Hello players,[/p][p]This is Sequoia Yang from the ARC Team.[/p][p] [/p][p]Following today’s Competitive Mode patch, many of you shared feedback regarding the Solos-only format of Competitive Mode.[/p][p]While we made this decision after reviewing various considerations, we recognize that there were important aspects we needed to revisit, especially for players who were looking forward to entering Competitive Mode together with friends.[/p][p] [/p][p]After reviewing your feedback, we discussed several possible approaches.
As a first step, we will update Competitive Mode later today to allow participation in 2-player parties.
Based on your feedback, Competitive Mode will now support Duos as well.[/p][p] [/p][p]To be clear, this is not the final solution.[/p][p]Rather, it is the fastest and most stable adjustment we can make immediately while continuing to work toward a more complete long-term solution.[/p][p]We understand that this change may not fully address everyone’s expectations, and we are continuing to explore further improvements.[/p][p] [/p][p]Our goal during Early Access remains the same: To support broader party participation in Competitive Mode while ensuring that solo players can still enjoy fair and balanced matches.[/p][p]However, achieving this requires solving a complex matchmaking challenge: finding properly matched opponents within reasonable queue times under increasingly complex matching conditions.[/p][p]We appreciate your patience as we work toward a more comprehensive solution.[/p][p] [/p][p]We expect to apply today’s Competitive Duos hotfix within the next few hours.
Specific timing and implementation details will be shared as soon as they are confirmed.[/p][p] [/p][p]Thank you for your continued feedback and engagement as we shape Competitive Mode together during Early Access.[/p][p][/p][p][/p][p]And as always,
thank you for playing with us.[/p][p] [/p][p]ARC Team[/p][p] [/p]