Microsoft is bundling Battlegrounds with the Xbox One X

Microsoft has announced that it will be bundling PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds with new Xbox One X consoles sold between December 17 and the end of 2017.

The move is the closest thing the Xbox One X has seen to a holiday discount this year, with the combined console and game coming in at the One X's standard $499 price tag. Given the popularity of Battlegrounds as well, it's likely this will help fuel the competition between the One X and PlayStation 4 Pro analysts expect to see during the current holiday season.

Meanwhile, the promotion comes just days after Battlegrounds made its console debut on the Xbox One through the platform's early access-like Xbox Game Preview program. Within 48 hours of its December 12 release, Microsoft says PUBG surpassed 1 million players on the Xbox One alone.

While players don't necessarily equate to sales, it is worth noting that the PC release of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds reached 1 million sold just over two weeks after its first launch and has since skyrocketed to over 20 million sold in less than a year.