PUBG maker drops suit against Epic Games over Fortnite

© Epic Games   Fortnite

By Michael McWhertor, Polygon

PUBG Corp., the developer of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, has withdrawn its lawsuit against Epic Games, the creator of Fortnite, according to a report from Bloomberg. PUBG Corp. sued Epic earlier this year in Korea over concerns that Fortnite Battle Royale infringed PUBG’s intellectual property. 

It’s not clear why PUBG Corp. ended legal proceedings or if a settlement between the two game makers had been reached, based on Bloomberg’s report.

PUBG Corp. went after Epic in May, calling the lawsuit “a measure to protect our copyrights.” In 2017, the studio behind PUBG expressed concern “that Fortnite may be replicating the experience for which PUBG is known” and hinted at taking legal action.

Epic Games was originally upfront about Fortnite Battle Royale’s inspiration. “Yeah, we made a PvP mode for Fortnite,” Epic said when the mode was announced last September. “We love Battle Royale games like PUBG and thought Fortnite would make a great foundation for our own version.”

Both Epic Games and PUBG Corp. are partly owned by Chinese firm Tencent. Both Fortnite and PUBG also use Epic Games’ Unreal Engine.