With any major hit in the gaming space, there will be companies that look to copy its success, but that does not mean the creators need to be happy about it.
Fortnite, in its most recent update, released their own take on the PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) style battle royal mode, and after growing concerns of the similarities, Bluehole, creators of PUBG have released a statement.
“We’ve had an ongoing relationship with Epic Games throughout PUBG’s development as they are the creators of UE4, the engine we licensed for the game,” said Chang Han Kim, Vice President and Executive Producer for Bluehole, Inc. “After listening to the growing feedback from our community and reviewing the gameplay for ourselves, we are concerned that Fortnite may be replicating the experience for which PUBG is known.”
Bluehole goes on to explain that they have no relationship with Fortnite, and the company is concerned about these notable similarities.
“We have also noticed that Epic Games references PUBG in the promotion of Fortnite to their community and in communications with the press,” Chang Han Kim continues. “This was never discussed with us and we don’t feel that it’s right.”
This statement comes shortly after Epic announced that the Battle Royal mode would be released as a stand-alone free-to-play product, putting it in direct competition with PUBG. The stand-alone version of Fortnight will be hitting the Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC on September 26. The release of the Battle Royal mode on more platforms than PUBG currently is, could hamper further growth for Bluehole.
Chang Han Kim closed, “The PUBG community has and continues to provide evidence of the many similarities as we contemplate further action.”
It is unclear what “further action” is planned by Bluehole, although we will cover the story as it develops. PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is currently available on Steam, with an Xbox One release planned for later in 2017.
