PUBG lead's new virtual planet sounds like a survival MMO, but he doesn't "want to classify it as a game"

One of the brains behind PUBG has a new project in the works, but it's not so much a game as it is a whole world in itself.

In an interview with PC Gamer, creator Brendan Greene goes into more detail about what the digital planet, currently called Project Artemis, actually is. "I don't want to classify it as a game," Greene tells PC Gamer. "I'm sure there will be gameplay elements. And we do have plans for a light survival exploration-type, life civilization game mode type thing – what else would you do with a massive world?"

So it sounds like a cross between an MMO and some of the best survival games, intended to create "a big emergent space" for players to hunt, gather, and explore together. AI helpers could even serve a purpose in Project Artemis by taking on specific roles to help keep things running smoothly. "You [could] have a wood chopper, or a scientist, or a metal worker that you can show where the forest is," Greene says, "And then they go and run back and forth and get you wood. And maybe the more players you get in your civilization or your village, the town grows, the borders grow, [and] you get more AI." All of this feeds into his goal of "fostering a community" to create a "massive life game mode" of epic proportions.

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But with creating a real-life simulation that encompasses a whole new world, Greene acknowledges the potentially dicey risks of this sandbox planet: the players themselves. "If we're building something like this, do I moderate it? Can I moderate it? I don't know yet," he admits. "I think I have to. I think it's a moral obligation to make sure we can stamp out Nazis. But I'm not sure yet. I think I need to employ some people smarter than me to think about this."

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Jasmine is a Senior Staff Writer at GamesRadar+. Raised in Hong Kong and having graduated with an English Literature degree from Queen Mary, University of London, she started her games journalism career as a freelancer with TheGamer and Tech Radar Gaming before joining GamesRadar+ full-time in 2023. As part of the Features team, her duties include attending game previews and key international conferences such as Gamescom and Digital Dragons in between regular interviews, opinion pieces, and the occasional news or guides stint. In her spare time, you'll likely find Jasmine thinking/talking about Resident Evil, purchasing another book she's unlikely to read, or complaining about the weather.