PUBG Creators Drop Copyright Lawsuit Against Fortnite Studio

The creators of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds were none too happy with seeing another studio seemingly “copy” their game, so much so that the PUBG Corporation filed a copyright lawsuit against Epic Games back in January because of their hit game Fortnite. However, that fight seems to be over. According to Bloomberg, PUBG Corporation sent a letter of withdrawal to Epic’s lawyers, marking the end of their lawsuit in South Korea.

While the PUBG Corporation confirms dropping the lawsuit, the news also comes without any kind of settlement or explanation. When Fortnite first announced its PvP mode, the creators of the game, Bluehole, expressed their dismay. “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,” said Bluehole’s Chang Han Kim in September of 2017.

PUBG Corporation filed the lawsuit in South Korea, where, strangely enough, both companies behind the two games are partially owned by industry giant Tencent. Epic’s Unreal Engine also happens to be the technology Bluehole uses for PUBG. In the same statement from September of 2017, Chang Han Kim noted their “ongoing relationship with Epic Games throughout PUBG’s development.”

While the legal drama between the two companies may be over, both games continue to be two of the most popular and fast-growing games on the market. Epic just recently released a Nintendo Switch version of Fortnite, bringing the popular game to a whole new community of gamers. Meanwhile, PUBG Corporation continues to update all versions of their namesake with new content.

Find our recent feature on the two companies’ rivalry here.