PUBG Creator’s Next Game Will Be 100v100 FPS

According to GameSpot, PUBG creator Brendan Greene has outlined an ambitious three-game plan for his studio PlayerUnknown Productions spanning roughly 10 years. The first title, Prologue: Go Wayback, launches in early access on November 20 as a single-player survival roguelike using machine-learning technology to generate worlds. The second game aims to be a 100v100 FPS/RTS hybrid testing large-scale multiplayer, while the third will let players create their own planets for various game modes. Greene expects players to initially hate the first game and anticipates working on the second title for another two to four years using the studio’s proprietary Melba engine with AI planet generation.

Massive multiplayer ambitions

So Greene wants to do 100v100 matches. That’s 200 players in a single game. Let that sink in for a minute. Most modern shooters cap out at 64 players, and even battle royale games typically top out around 120. We’re talking about nearly doubling the player count of most current large-scale shooters.

Here’s the thing though – we’ve seen this before. Remember MAG on PlayStation 3? That game managed 128v128 matches back in 2010. But the gaming landscape has changed dramatically since then. Network infrastructure is better, but player expectations for graphics and smooth performance are through the roof. Can modern engines and networking protocols actually deliver a stable 200-player experience that doesn’t feel like a slideshow?

The three-game roadmap

What’s really interesting is how Greene is approaching this as a long-term evolution. He’s not just jumping straight into the massive multiplayer game. Instead, he’s building toward it with two other titles that essentially serve as technology testbeds.

The first game, Prologue: Go Wayback, sounds like it’s mainly about proving out the AI world generation tech. Greene straight up says he expects players to hate it at first, which is either refreshingly honest or slightly concerning. The second game then tests the multiplayer infrastructure at scale. Only then does the third game combine everything into the creative platform.

It’s actually a pretty smart approach when you think about it. Basically, he’s treating game development like building blocks rather than trying to solve all the technical challenges at once.

Technical challenges ahead

Now let’s talk about the elephant in the room – making 200-player matches actually work. Network synchronization at that scale is incredibly difficult. Every player action needs to be communicated to 199 other clients, and the server has to handle all that traffic while maintaining game state.

The proprietary Melba engine using machine learning for real-time planet generation is fascinating though. If they can dynamically create and stream in terrain as players explore, that could solve some of the memory and loading issues that typically plague large-scale games. But will it work in practice? That’s the billion-dollar question.

And let’s not forget about the gameplay design challenges. What does a 100v100 match actually play like? Is it just chaos, or can you create meaningful tactical experiences at that scale? The FPS/RTS mix suggests they’re thinking about command structures and larger strategic elements, which would be essential.

Market context and competition

Looking at the broader market, large-player-count shooters have become something of a niche. Battlefield scaled back from 128 players in 2042 to focusing on 64-player modes. Call of Duty’s Ground War mode typically supports around 32v32. Even extraction shooters like Escape from Tarkov or DMZ usually have much smaller player counts per match.

So Greene is swimming against the current here. But that’s kind of his thing, right? PUBG was also going against established trends when it launched and ended up creating an entire genre. The question is whether lightning can strike twice.

The early access approach for the first game makes sense – it lets them iterate with community feedback while building toward the more ambitious titles. But this is a 10-year plan in an industry where player attention spans are measured in months. That’s a long time to ask people to stay invested in your vision.

One thing’s for sure – if anyone has earned the right to take big swings in the multiplayer space, it’s probably the guy who helped define modern battle royale. I’m skeptical but genuinely curious to see how this plays out. The first real test comes November 20 when Prologue: Go Wayback hits early access. Will players actually embrace a game its creator expects them to hate? We’ll find out soon enough.