PUBG developer reinvents the battle royale circle to stop campers

From Dec. 5 to 8, the PUBG Corporation tested a new mode for the uber popular battle royale game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. It’s called Bluehole mode, and it’s designed to stop players from camping in the middle of the safe zone.

Typically in battle royale games, a large circle condenses the map over the course of the game, forcing groups of players into a claustrophobic arena. This can create problems for players toward the edge of the safe zones. As they inch their way into safety, they run into players who’ve been setting up the safe zone for ambush over several minutes. It’s a frustrating way to lose a game. But Bluehole Mode may be the solution.

In addition to the normal circle closing in, the penultimate safe zone has an additional inner zone in Bluehole mode. This is to prevent players from going inside the ending circle until the second-to-last round. Any player brave or foolish enough to enter will take constant damage, just like the outer circle. Players will need to position themselves in between the inner and outer circles until the penultimate round, where the inner circle will allow players inside.

The PUBG Corporation said it made the new mode because players who spawn near the final circle often have an unfair advantage. It also wanted to prevent players from having to run all match, fighting the circle itself instead of other players.

Bluehole mode testing ended on Dec. 8 in the PUBG Labs, and it’s unclear when or if it’ll actually hit live servers.