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PUBG dev apologises for broken automatic server allocation, releases initial fix

Local lag.

Last week I reported on the backlash to a recent update to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds that added automatic server selection to the game.

PC update 22, which came out earlier in October, made it so your server or region was decided automatically depending on the player's local region.

But it didn't work properly, with players reporting they'd been shunted into regions not their own - and suffered a poor online experience as a result.

Now, in a post on its website, PUBG Corp. apologised for the issue and released an initial fix to try to combat the problem.

There was an error relating to ping calculation, PUBG Corp. said, that meant the player's location wasn't being identified correctly. This meant players would end up in matches in a region not their own - and with a high ping comes plenty of lag.

"Due to the large number of players affected by this issue, the gameplay experience for many players has been impacted negatively and we sincerely apologise for this," PUBG Corp. said.

The initial fix is designed to prevent players from connecting to the wrong local region. The developers are also working to sort out the remaining issues in a fix due next week. This includes a change to prioritise matching players with teammates who speak the same language.

"Once deployed, the system will now properly prioritise putting players into matches on servers in their local region," PUBG Corp. said.

"In the event of excessive queue times due to a small matchmaking pool, the next closest region will be chosen to ensure players aren't stuck matchmaking indefinitely."

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PUBG Corp. concluded its post by apologising once again.

"We understand that issues like this are extremely disruptive to how you enjoy the game and we apologise for the inconvenience this has caused our loyal players. Our team will continue to closely monitor this issue, both through data and player feedback."