Since there is a new PvP mode in the coop shooter Fortnite that resembles PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, the developers of PUBG are upset. They claim that the battle royale mode in Fortnite is too similar to PUBG. Therefore, they are considering taking further action.
PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently the king of the battle royale genre. On Steam, the game from the Korean studio Bluehole has immense success and peak numbers of concurrent players. The competition in the form of H1Z1: King of the Kill has long been left behind.
Nevertheless, it seems that Bluehole is worried about a newcomer: the upcoming PvP mode for the coop shooter Fortnite. It is supposed to launch for free next week on PC, PS4, and Xbox One. The port for consoles is still pending for PUBG.
Developer of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds sees too many similarities in Fortnite
Fortnite is actually a coop shooter where four players build fortifications together to fend off waves of zombies. It was purely a game for PvE fans. Players did not compete against each other. But then, the developers at Epic Games created an additional PvP mode called Battle Royale.
In it, you jump – like in PUBG – from a lonely island, gather weapons, and take each other out. However, according to Bluehole Vice President Chang Han Kim, this is not okay. Fortnite is mimicking the PUBG experience.
They even advertise for Fortnite that the PvP mode is like PUBG. Epic Games stated in the announcement for the PvP mode that they are big fans of battle royale games like PUBG and H1Z1, which is why they developed the new mode.
Relationship between Bluehole and Epic Games strained
Also critical: Epic Games develops the Unreal Engine 4 alongside games. This is also used in PUBG, and they have a contract with Epic because of this.
They are therefore business partners, and such an action is even more inappropriate. Thus, Bluehole is considering taking further steps.
Battle Royale, the free PvP mode of Fortnite, will be released on September 26. This will be available on PC as well as on the Playstation 4 and Xbox One. PUBG, on the other hand, is expected to come to Xbox One later. A PS4 launch remains unclear.
Players do not share Bluehole’s outrage
While Bluehole is upset about Fortnite, players mostly see it more relaxed. After all, PUBG is the undisputed king in the battle royale genre. And the Koreans did not invent this type of game anyway.
Even PUBG creator and former Arma modder Brendan “PlayerUnknown” Greene once said in an interview that he firmly expected other developers to try their hand at the genre and hopefully do their own thing. He himself would not care much and would rather finish his own game.
And despite all the similarities, Fortnite’s battle royale mode has enough unique features, such as colorful comic graphics, a completely different gunplay, traps, destructible environments, and fortifications.
- If you want to know how the battle royale PvP mode in Fortnite plays, you can read it in our gameplay report from the testing phase.
- Update 23.9. Bluehole has further clarified what exactly bothers them about Fortnite’s actions: We pay them a lot of money and then this – PUBG to Fortnite
