PUBG phasing out locks on paid loot crates

The developer behind PUBG is making some notable changes to its business model, removing a barrier between players and the randomised rewards they have already purchased.

Under the current system, players use in-game currency BP to purchase loot crates, some of which are locked and require players to buy a key in order to access the items inside.

As of December 18, locked crates from random purchases will no longer be available. And any locked crates already in the system, either in players' inventories or being sold on the Steam marketplace, will be phased out.

Players will still be able to buy keys to unlock these crates, but only if they have a locked one in their inventory.

"Through player feedback, we've found that more often players do not get enjoyment out of opening crates as they currently exist," the team wrote on the developer blog.

PUBG Corp has been trying to lower the probability of players receiving locked crates when purchasing random ones, and even tried adding items with special features to locked crates to make them more valuable for players. But the team says it has "learned that this issue cannot be completely resolved in this manner."

"We've been thinking about this carefully and we want to ensure that we steer clear of revenue models that fails to satisfy fans, especially if they include a low success rate," the post continued.

"We will continue to tweak our business model where possible to offer more compelling value for money you choose to spend with us."

The team has also assure that it is "certainly not trying to get rid" of the Steam marketplace where players can sell items to each other, adding, "New items from future crates will continue to be able to be sold on the marketplace, and no locked crates means one less step a player interested in those items will have to go through."