PUBG players in Oceania don't have first-person servers due to small playerbase

Update: There are now DUO FP servers in Oceania. Read the whole report here.

For PUBG players in Oceania, those wanting to join first-person only matches have needed to join special FPP servers based in North America and Asian, which naturally comes with connectivity disadvantages. Many have taken to reddit and Discord to appeal for Oceania FPP-only servers, but it looks like that outcome may take a while to eventuate, according to a post by lead community manager Sammie Kang on the PUBG OCE Discord.

Interestingly, the main concern is a small playerbase – quite an unusual worry for what is probably the most played FPS of the year. "I've heard that OCE players are playing FPP on NA or ASIA servers and would like to play on a better environment," Kang wrote (via reddit). "I fully understand the frustration."

She continued: "I've said it on Twitter but the truth is, [the] current player base in OCE is too small for us to add another game mode. We actively monitor data from different servers and game modes on a regular basis. Even if we consider players who are playing on other servers, the number is so small that it could mean (1) increased matchmaking time or (2) a small number of players in every session which can both result in negative player experience.

"For other regions, the number of active players was much larger which means there will be a number of active sessions filled with enough players throughout the day."

That doesn't mean the studio is letting the problem rest. While special servers may not be coming soon, some other resolution might be arrived at. "...We are currently looking into a solution and investigating to see if what could be done. We are still in the middle of the process which is why I have not been able to make any official statement."

Kang says to hold tight while the team investigates. You can read her full post over here.

Shaun Prescott is the Australian editor of PC Gamer. With over ten years experience covering the games industry, his work has appeared on GamesRadar+, TechRadar, The Guardian, PLAY Magazine, the Sydney Morning Herald, and more. Specific interests include indie games, obscure Metroidvanias, speedrunning, experimental games and FPSs. He thinks Lulu by Metallica and Lou Reed is an all-time classic that will receive its due critical reappraisal one day.