It really feels like I became a game character.
At about 2 p.m. on the 21st at PUBG Seongsu in Seongdong-gu, Seoul. A college student surnamed Kim, 23, caught their breath after finishing the "In-circle Challenge" and said this. The In-circle Challenge is an experiential attraction where participants avoid a wall-shaped magnetic field closing in from behind, clear obstacles, pick up items, and run to the finish line. Participants wearing helmets and backpacks ducked or changed direction to speed through the sections. Kim said, "It feels exactly like running around in the game to avoid the magnetic field."
A few steps from the experience zone, a giant air dome measuring 13 meters in diameter and 6.5 meters high filled the view. It created an atmosphere as if the in-game magnetic field had opened up in the middle of Seongsu-dong.
Krafton and Kia set up an experiential pop-up space in Seongsu-dong starting this day to mark the 8th anniversary of Battlegrounds Mobile. Two spaces, "PUBG Seongsu" and "Kia Unplugged Ground," were designed with the Battlegrounds universe so visitors could feel as if they had stepped into the actual game. The two spaces were arranged with different concepts, and visitors can move between them to carry out various missions.
Kia Unplugged Ground is characterized by a layout that follows the flow of actual gameplay. Visitors can experience the space in the order of "parachute landing → item farming → vehicle movement → combat." In the landing experience, you had to throw a mini car with a parachute into a safe zone. In the subsequent item farming area, the experience proceeded by searching for models of in-game items hidden around the EV4 vehicle. Participants opened the car doors to check the interior, rummaged through the trunk, and even checked between the seats to find items.
On one side, two EV4 RC cars sped along a mini circuit decorated like a scaled-down Erangel map. Participants gripped the controllers and took the sharp turns, and groans erupted whenever a car went off course or hit a wall. In the final laser battle zone, a shooting experience was held where participants hit targets placed around the EV3 vehicle. Participants held laser guns and fired repeatedly at the targets. A tablet screen placed directly below the participant and a screen set up behind them showed real-time scores. An on-site staffer said, "For both racing and the laser battle, every time you place in the real-time top five, we hand out a poster on site."
PUBG Seongsu felt like the in-game magnetic field had been brought into the real world. At the entrance, a character called "Ttuk-man" wearing the level-3 helmet in Battlegrounds Mobile, known as the "Sam-ttuk," greeted visitors, and behind it the Blue Zone air dome came into view. Users strolled freely inside the dome filled with a ball pool and took commemorative photos. Right next to it, in the In-circle Challenge, participants avoided the wall-shaped magnetic field approaching from behind, cleared obstacles, and ran through a limited section.
At this pop-up, you can get a stamp each time you finish an experience. If you collect eight stamps across the two spaces, you can receive a survival kit, limited to 100 per day. The kit includes bandages with the Battlegrounds symbol pattern, a compass, a carabiner, a notebook, a pen, and more. A college student, Ahn Seong-bin, 23, who said they have enjoyed Battlegrounds Mobile since its early release, said, "I visit the pop-up every year, and the events and goods are getting more diverse," adding, "It's more fun because it feels like experiencing the game in a real space."
A steady stream of ordinary visitors also came to the site. With many experiential attractions such as photo zones like the air dome, RC car racing, and laser shooting, it was designed so even people unfamiliar with the game could easily take part, according to feedback. This pop-up will run for five days, through the 25th.
A Krafton official said, "This pop-up was designed so the core play experience of Battlegrounds Mobile can be enjoyed anew in the real space of Seongsu," adding, "Through collaboration with Kia, we will extend the in-game elements of battlefield, movement, and combat into real space to deliver an immersive brand experience."