The PUBG lawsuit against Fortnite creators Epic Games has been dropped, with PUBG Corp ending the legal battle that saw it accuse of Epic of stealing its game’s concept. Though the reasoning behind this new development has yet to be revealed, the company has sent a letter of withdrawal to Epic’s attorneys, effectively concluding what could have been a costly court case between the two companies.
The case, which was being held in South Korea, was reported as being closed by the local court system’s website (via Bloomberg). No further statement has been offered by either company, meaning that it is unclear if both parties reached a settlement, or if the plaintiff had prematurely brought the case to an end before it could be taken any further.
The comparisons between the battle royale games are clear, though many criticized PUBG Corp for taking it up a notch when it hit Epic Games with a lawsuit. The company slammed Epic for “replicating gameplay” after Fortnite began gaining traction, with these criticisms then snowballing into legal action. Many pointed out the similarities between PUBG and other battle royale games, with some concerned that PUBG Corp winning the lawsuit would lead to problems for the gaming industry on the whole. With so many games borrowing from one another, if a court ruled in favor of PUBG, many considered where the line would be drawn between games taking inspiration from one another or outright stealing ideas.
No official statement has been offered by either party, though this would have inevitably caused a headache for Tencent Holdings, which part-owns both games. Tencent is said to be in the process of increasing its PUBG investment to 10 percent, while Fortnite continues to be a behemothic force in the gaming industry, overtaking the vast majority of triple-A games to become the most popular and widely discussed multiplayer game out there.
We previously detailed the PUBG vs Fortnite lawsuit, explaining how the court case would have worked from a legal standpoint. You can take a look at that feature right here.
What are your thoughts on PUBG bringing an end to the Fortnite lawsuit? Let us know in the comments section below.
