60 Players, 3-Player Squads
PUBG Studios' Dave Curd told Inven Global that each PUBG: DED.NET match fields 60 players organized into 3-player squads. The squad size was not arbitrary. According to Curd, asymmetry playtests conducted over two years shaped the decision: a 1v4 situation proved virtually insurmountable, a 1v2 lacked excitement, and a 1v3 offered slim odds without a predetermined outcome. "It's more fun with friends, and three is the magic number," Curd said. Curd also told Inven Global that solo play has been tested internally and is being considered if demand and the player base support it -- though the source does not specify a timeline or commitment for that mode.
Five Phases and Simultaneous Ability Unlocks
Curd described a match structure divided into five phases. At each phase milestone, abilities unlock simultaneously for all 60 players -- meaning, as Curd framed it, a situation where one contestant has five abilities while another has zero cannot occur. He noted that abilities grant strategic opportunity, each carrying strengths and weaknesses, and that none of them involve numerical stat inflation. The source does not detail the specific abilities or what triggers each phase milestone.
The Blue Zone and the Map
According to the Inven Global interview, the initial blue zone covers 2.5x2.5 km, while the full map runs slightly over 5x5 km. After a few phases, the blue zone begins to wander rather than follow a predictable circle shrink. Curd stated that players "won't know which district of Cascadia will be selected each game," making zone positioning a variable that shifts from match to match. A single match lasts approximately 30 minutes for the final survivor, per Curd.
Curd also cited the map's verticality -- towering cliffs and low plains -- and what he described as "the densest forest ever rendered in a battle royale" as key points of difference from BATTLEGROUNDS.
How DED.NET Differs from BATTLEGROUNDS
Curd drew a direct comparison to PUBG: BATTLEGROUNDS for context. BATTLEGROUNDS seats 100 players who all start on identical footing. DED.NET seats 60, but because it carries roguelite progression across runs, all 60 contestants in a given lobby can be at different stages of their campaign. Curd put it plainly: "A player in their very first match can meet a player on their 12th match in the same lobby." The source does not detail how that cross-run asymmetry interacts with the simultaneous phase-based ability unlocks within a single match.
Curd told Inven Global that PUBG: DED.NET is an FPS -- a camera perspective he described as "fundamentally different" from BATTLEGROUNDS -- and that the game is planned for PC, PS5, and Xbox Series X|S, with a console-first rollout. Those platform and rollout details are attributed to Curd via that interview.
PUBG: DED.NET was revealed by PUBG Studios (KRAFTON) at gamescom Opening Night Live, with the release date still to be announced. A closed beta is coming.