Microsoft Studios now publishing PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on Xbox One

Earlier this year, as a part of its E3 2017 lineup, Microsoft announced that one of this year's best-selling PC hits, PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds would be coming to Xbox One. Expected to hit Xbox Game Preview as a launch exclusive this fall, the game is set to bring its classic last-man standing action to consoles, with specific enhancements to take advantage of the upcoming Xbox One X.

Speaking on the Xbox Gamescom 2017 live stream, Creative Director at Bluehole Inc, Brendan Greene confirmed the developer has officially partnered with Microsoft in bringing the title to the platform. As a result, the game won't be going through Microsoft's ID@Xbox indie program, and instead officially published by via Microsoft Studios.

With this, Microsoft is now likely working much more closely with the developer of Battlegrounds, to ensure the game launches in a fit state as a part of the company's in-house offerings. However, it should be noted that this doesn't guarantee the game will remain an Xbox One console exclusive going forward, with previously Microsoft Studios published gaming having made their way to competing platforms.

Matt Brown

Matt Brown was formerly a Windows Central's Senior Editor, Xbox & PC, at Future. Following over seven years of professional consumer technology and gaming coverage, he’s focused on the world of Microsoft's gaming efforts. You can follow him on Twitter @mattjbrown.