PUBG Corp., an affiliate of South Korean studio Bluehole Inc., has filed a copyright violation lawsuit against Epic Games over copyright infringement in Fortnite’s Battle Royale mode. The Korean unit of North Carolina-based Epic Games is accused of copying many of the features and gameplay mechanims of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. The lawsuit was filed in the Seoul Central District Court.
“This is a measure to protect our copyrights,” PUBG said, declining to provide further details. According to The Korea Times, the suit was filed in January. Interestingly enough, PUBG uses Unreal Engine 4 designed by the accused Epic. It won't be the first time PUBG Corp accused someone of stealing their ideas, as the company filed a lawsuit against the creators of Knives Out, and Rules of Survival last month.
PUBG has seen its popularity fall as Fortnite’s has constantly risen. In February, Epic Games announced it had reached 3.4 million concurrent Fortnite players, topping PUBG’s record of 3.3 million achieved in early January, according to data site SteamDB. The timing of this lawsuit is fascinating as Epic is preparing to launch its free-to-play phenomenon in cybercafes around Korea, after signing an agreement with Korean publisher Neowiz Games.
We'll just have to see how the merits of the case work out, or if the dispute spreads to any other jurisdictions. Epic Games representative told Polygon the company doesn’t comment on the litigation.