New PUBG Map 'Codename: Savage' Enters Player Testing Soon

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is getting a new map, and its first testing window is about to open on PC. The map, currently called Codename: Savage, will be 4 km x 4 km, smaller than the game's existing two maps. Early details about Codename: Savage have been emerging, but the map will enter its first full testing phase next week, and players will get the chance to give it a try.

Codename: Savage's first testing phase starts Monday, April 2 at 7 PM PT / 10 PM ET / 3 AM BST Tuesday. It will go until Thursday, April 5 at 4 AM PT / 7 AM ET / 12 PM BST. This phase will be a closed, limited test, but players will be able to sign up to participate on Steam. Developer PUBG Corp. says it will provide more details on how to take part in the test on Monday, and says players should "keep an eye on [PUBG's] social channels to maximize your chances of getting a key."

PUBG creator Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene unveiled some details about the new map during a panel at the Game Developers Conference. He said the smaller, island map is coming this year, and "should give you all a much more intense and faster paced Battle Royale experience." He also shared a sneak peak on his Twitter account at the same time.

PUBG Corp. is stressing that the map is in its early development phase, and it's opening Codename: Savage up to players so early to gather as much feedback as possible. "We haven’t released content so early in its development since our alpha testing stage. We’re doing this because we want to start getting your feedback as soon as possible and drive the development in the right direction," the developer said on Steam.

In other news, PUBG Corp. has just released a new PC update that adds a weapon skin system and a few other features. We also recently got the chance to sit down with Brendan "PlayerUnknown" Greene himself to ask him about the incredible success of the game, how it spawned out of a series of mods, and how it plans to stay relevant with increasing competition in the future. Check out the interview in the video above.