Krafton had looked to expand PUBG beyond the core game as to expand the narrative universe. As part of this, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was quietly rebranded as PUBG Battlegroundsaround July 2021.
Starting in 2020, Krafton released a series of live-action documentaries starring Jonathan Frakes that explored the origins of the game’s Battlegrounds. Ahead of the game’s Taego expansion in July 2021, Krafton released another live-action short called “Ground Zero”, featuring Ma Dong-seok (aka Don Lee).
Krafton announced a partnership with Adi Shankar in July 2021 to develop an animated series based on the PUBG universe.
In 2019, Krafton created a new studio Striking Distance, helmed by Glen Schofield, who previously led development on the Dead Space series. In 2020, Schofield revealed that the studio was working on The Callisto Protocol, a game set in the PUBG universe but in the far future, taking place on a prison colony established on Jupiter’s moon Callisto.
Krafton announced a new game in development named PUBG: New State. This particular game is separated from PUBG: Battlegrounds but taking place in the PUBG Universe. Pre-registration were opened for the game on February 25, 2021. It was released on 11 November that year for iOS. The game takes place in the year 2051 and is based on future warfare. On January 27, 2022, the title name changed from “PUBG: New State” to “New State Mobile“.