
Snowboards and guns: Tencent’s snowy battle royale debuts on Steam
It’s like PUBG, except you can snowboard, mountaineer or hang-glide (and kill people)
The free-to-play game, scheduled for early access on Steam on September 20, allows you to snowboard, mountaineer or hang-glide... while you try to stay alive in a game of battle royale.
PUBG, the battle royale pioneer
Ring of Elysium is set on a snowy vacation resort popular with tourists. But a massive snowstorm is moving in, and the last rescue chopper can only take four passengers.
How do you decide who gets one of those precious seats? Well, here’s where the battle royale bit comes in: You have to slaughter everyone else to ensure your place on the rescue chopper to safety. (And then to prison, I guess?)
I’m not gonna lie, that looks pretty fun. The setting may be bizarre, but it’s basically an excuse to get people running around shooting each other while snowboarding or hang gliding. And if it’s as fun as it looks, I’m OK with that.
Ring of Elysium’s arrival is bound to further heat up competition in the battle royale genre. While it’s currently being dominated by PUBG and Fortnite, that could very well change.
But Tencent isn’t likely to worry. Through its network of partnerships and investments, it has stakes in Fortnite, PUBG and Call of Duty.
Tencent partners with Final Fantasy and Tomb Raider maker Square Enix
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For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.
