People Are About to Look Very Stylish While Murdering in 'Battlegrounds'

Though it'll be months before PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds exits early access on Steam, the developers are keen to take advantage of the game's increasing popularity. On August 3, Battlegrounds will receive a series of Battle Royale-inspired loot crates—Wanderer, Survivor, Gamescom Invitational—that will give players a chance to score some very stylish clothing. The Gamescom crate, however, will require players to purchase a $2.50 key to be opened.

Look at these fuckin' clothes, man. They're slick:

(Battlegrounds was inspired by the Japanese dystopian horror film Battle Royale.)

Battlegrounds doesn't charge for anything but $30 for the base game. You can't buy custom looks for your character, guns, or anything else. It always made sense Battlegrounds would add more revenue streams, only a question of when and how much; the "crate and key" system is very common for games like this.

The first two crates—Wanderer, Survivor—don't cost anything. You'll purchase them using the in-game "Battle Points" earned by winning matches and killing players. The Gamescom crate, the one requiring the purchase of a key, will have "the most diverse pool of themed clothing," explaining the cost.

These clothing options are important because, at the moment, you can't do much to look different in Battlegrounds. Everyone looks extremely similar because the customization tools are extremely limited. I wanna be a stylish killer. The developers have promised a robust character creation system, but it's not coming "until [they] move out of early access," which could be later this year or sometime in 2018. The addition of any new options, paid or free, are likely to be welcomed.

It's possible crates will later be used as a way to make more money from their incredibly popular game, for this test run, it's not being used for profit. Instead, everything raised from the sale of those $2.50 keys will be used in three ways:

• To provide funds needed to organize the event
• To provide a prize pool for the invitational winners
• To support a selection of charities

That's pretty damn cool?

At five-million copies sold, there's likely a perception, warranted or not, the game's developers don't need more money right this second, especially when the game hasn't left early access. By funneling the money into good causes, both related to the game and outside of it, it helps blunt criticisms about greed and exploitation.

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