PUBG Corp. defends the use of asset stores as the only way to "work smart"
PUBG is no "asset flip", says PUBG Corp., but store-bought assets are necessary when building maps
PUBG Corp. has refuted the idea that PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is an "asset flip", an accusation that creative director Brendan Greene admitted, "kills me a little inside."
Greene touched on the idea at E3 last week, as part of a panel at the E3 Colosseum. In particular, the belief that PUBG is an "asset flip" applies to one of its maps, Erangel, but Greene suggested that the belief is rooted in a misunderstanding about how maps in general are created.
A PUBG map is made in nine months, he said, "and you don't do that without using the work of other artists. But for the most part, most of our stuff is made by hand."
The issue was explored further by PUBG Corp. communications lead Ryan Rigney. In a post on Reddit, Rigney said that "[leaning] on an asset store" is the most effective way to create a map when starting a team.
"Because that's the only way you can spin up a game fast, and for a reasonable price, to quickly find the fun," he said. "Hiring an art team of 40 people to 'try a game' and 'see if it's fun' is simply not a smart way to work - this is what the asset store is for! It's a great resource for teams that want to work smart."
Erangel was a mix of in-house work, outsourcing and purchased assets, but the role of purchased assets has reduced with each new map, as the PUBG team has grown. However, PUBG will always use store-bought assets, Rigney said, "because it just doesn't make sense to build everything in the game world yourself."