PUBG suing Epic over Fortnight

Toggle sidebar Toggle sidebar
M

maniacalpha1-1

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2010
3,562
14
81
What's different about this that justifies a lawsuit, that didn't justify Blizzard suing over the ocean of WoW clones?

Anyway, I hope it fails, simply because, it's bad for gamers if it succeeds. Because, one gaming company might make the game one way, and with a few changes that on the surface seem minor, but in reality make all the difference a game mode could be altered to suit an entire other set of consumers that do not enjoy the original game, and the company that makes the original game is not willing to offer separate game modes.

It's like if someone make a clone of Battlefield or CoD but where the realism is milsim grade. On the surface it would look like the same game, because the graphics and maps might be very similar, but to people who actually play it, it's vastly different.
 
Aikouka

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
The lawsuit seems rather silly, but I am curious if there might be some reason why they filed it in Korea rather than in the United States. A possible "home field advantage"? Anyway, the thing is... it's not like Bluehole invented the Battle Royale genre either. H1Z1 already had a Battle Royale mode prior to the release of PUBG, but it's arguable that PUBG was the first widely popular Battle Royale game.

Now, Bluehole can point out aspects of the games that are similar (dropping from an air-based vehicle, shrinking map, etc.), but from what I recall, you can't copyright gameplay mechanics. (Although, thanks to Oracle, we can copyright APIs. :p) So, I get the feeling that Bluehole may have a problem proving any sort of IP theft given that the games don't resemble each other visually, and they'd have to be able to prove that some sort of algorithm is the exact same (i.e. proving they copied code).
 
  • Like
Reactions: Phenzyn
M

maniacalpha1-1

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2010
3,562
14
81
PUBG didn't invent single elimination deathmatch, which is what Battle Royale really is. Likewise, H1Z1 didn't invent it either. Maybe they were the first to add shrinking play field and scrounging instead of spawning with weapons, but I do not feel that this changes it from being single elimination deathmatch at its core.

I'm guessing the first single elimination deathmatch shooter was probably sometime in the 90s?
 
Q

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
4,191
739
126
Aikouka said:
The lawsuit seems rather silly, but I am curious if there might be some reason why they filed it in Korea rather than in the United States. A possible "home field advantage"? Anyway, the thing is... it's not like Bluehole invented the Battle Royale genre either. H1Z1 already had a Battle Royale mode prior to the release of PUBG, but it's arguable that PUBG was the first widely popular Battle Royale game.
Click to expand...

Sony licensed the Battle Royale mode from Brendan Greene (AKA PlayerUnknown) and hired him as a consultant for H1Z1.
 
Q

quikah

Diamond Member
Apr 7, 2003
4,191
739
126
maniacalpha1-1 said:
I'm guessing the first single elimination deathmatch shooter was probably sometime in the 90s?
Click to expand...

I don't think they are suing for a single elimination deathmatch game. They are suing for a game mode where you parachute into a very large map where you must scavenge weapons while the gamezone slowly shrinks.
 
Zenoth

Zenoth

Diamond Member
Jan 29, 2005
5,202
216
106
That's ridiculous.

I don't recall id Software suing 3DRealms, Valve or any other devs when the first-person-shooter genre started to get 'copied' by the hundreds following the release of Doom (and even if it did actually happen, I'm 100% sure that no case was ever won), or like someone mentioned above, Blizzard suing other MMORPG devs out there for having copied gameplay mechanics (or just the genre itself) and trying to - lo and behold - making money off of the idea.

The bigger problem, however, is whenever someone (a development team) claims that a genre they supposedly invented actually belongs to them (because big news here: it doesn't).

This is - ultimately - a jealousy problem. The PUBG devs are simply pissed off, and are envying Epic Games because their version of the Battle Royale genre is simply better (and hey PUBG, here's an important hint: it's F2P). Well, tough luck PUBG. Look back in the past and see how many other devs out there "invented" a genre and then got royally dethroned by a better, more refined follow up. Just freakin' man up, refine your own game, make it better or make a sequel and set it up as F2P right from the start. But no... sure, suing Epic Games is easier and more importantly, makes more sense.

In fact, a similar (albeit not identical) scenario already happened before with id Software and Epic Games back in 1999. That same year (and within the same period, around the holidays) both Quake III Arena and Unreal Tournament came out. We know what happened next (sure, Q3A was good, but the UT franchise became the king of the hill... so to speak). However, none of them ever got in a war of words (except maybe the fans of one game versus the other) and no one tried to bring the other to court to determine which one of them actually "invented" the arena shooter genre and which one might have copied the other. Anyway, that's just one example out of literal hundreds in the gaming industry. Usually you'll see someone suing another related to some patent or a peripheral or actual game code or something along the lines; some of those cases are genuinely worth fighting for. But holy sweet bejeebus those PUBG guys seem to be extremely susceptible people.

Yeah, Fortnite is a better game than yours, fast! Let's go to court! ... wow. Sorry, this story pisses me off; I perceive them (the PUBG devs) like children, something along the lines of one kid desperately trying to convince the other than his dad is better.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Rebel_L
Newbian

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,779
882
126
Makes about as much sense as candy crush suing all the games with candy in their name as they did awhile ago.
 
Aikouka

Aikouka

Lifer
Nov 27, 2001
30,383
912
126
quikah said:
Sony licensed the Battle Royale mode from Brendan Greene (AKA PlayerUnknown) and hired him as a consultant for H1Z1.
Click to expand...

I wonder what their license is? Sometimes, a developer may license a mod or something along those lines (e.g. Counter Strike) and turn it into a full game. I'd be surprised if their license was simply for vague concepts of what is in a Battle Royale game.
 
Newbian

Newbian

Lifer
Aug 24, 2008
24,779
882
126
Aikouka said:
I wonder what their license is? Sometimes, a developer may license a mod or something along those lines (e.g. Counter Strike) and turn it into a full game. I'd be surprised if their license was simply for vague concepts of what is in a Battle Royale game.
Click to expand...

To be fair if they piss off fortnight enough then epic could simply pull pubg's license from using the unreal engine and then we will see the fireworks. ;)
 
Mai72

Mai72

Lifer
Sep 12, 2012
11,562
1,741
126
PUBG shot themselves in the foot with their refusal to do anything about the hackers and cheaters that populate their servers. It stopped me from buying the game.
 
N

Not So Mild

Member
Jun 9, 2017
149
32
56
Aikouka said:
I wonder what their license is? Sometimes, a developer may license a mod or something along those lines (e.g. Counter Strike) and turn it into a full game. I'd be surprised if their license was simply for vague concepts of what is in a Battle Royale game.
Click to expand...
Prior to PUBG and H1Z1, Brendan created the Battle Royale mod for ArmA. I believe that was the first iteration of Battle Royale in video games.

He deserves credit for the mod, but having Bluehole sue company over created a game in the same genre is just silly.
 
M

maniacalpha1-1

Diamond Member
Feb 7, 2010
3,562
14
81
Not So Mild said:
Prior to PUBG and H1Z1, Brendan created the Battle Royale mod for ArmA. I believe that was the first iteration of Battle Royale in video games.

He deserves credit for the mod, but having Bluehole sue company over created a game in the same genre is just silly.
Click to expand...

Definitely silly, but is it even possible to establish a legal basis for something made in a mod? If anything doesn't it go to ArmA's makers, assuming ArmA has a mod EULA, or some other way?
 
Stuka87

Stuka87

Diamond Member
Dec 10, 2010
6,240
2,559
136
If PUBG had spent even 20% of their earnings fixing bugs, they wouldn't be suffering the massive player losses they are having. The game is junk and is full of Chinese hackers. But they also refuse to region lock china. This was all their own doing.

And, there was single elimination death match (AKA: Last Man Standing) before H1Z1 ever came about.
 
ImpulsE69

ImpulsE69

Lifer
Jan 8, 2010
14,946
1,077
126
Maybe they should fix their gd net code. It is pathetic.

They are more worried about making mobile and xbox version than fixing the version that got them where they are.

Also PUBG didn't start this. ARMA and The Culling did it LONG before. In fact The Culling was exactly what PUBG is (the whole timed playfield death thing) only they didn't have 100 players.
 
aigomorla

aigomorla

CPU, Cases&Cooling Mod PC Gaming Mod Elite Member
Super Moderator
Sep 28, 2005
21,065
3,572
126
quikah said:
Blizzard didn't invent the computer MMORPG.
Click to expand...

They could of easily sued steam over Dota tho.
As well as League of Legends.

Dota's birth was originated on Warcraft3.
Infact Dota still shares some of warcraft3's characters.

But blizzard realized it would be a money sink battle against steam, which im sure Gabe would fight until the bitter end where both parties would just get tired of it.

Anyhow, its going to be hard to prove PUBG holds any grounds for anything.
The entire start in the air parachuting has been used in many games.
Infact EA could sue PUBG then because thats how i remember battlefield also starting if you'd spawn on a full squad mate or even in a helicopter.

The whole last man to die, Unreal Tournament had that... infact fortnight is made by the makers of unreal tourny, So yeah, good luck proving the entire last man to die is yours.
 
cmdrdredd

cmdrdredd

Lifer
Dec 12, 2001
27,052
357
126
C

Craig234

Lifer
May 1, 2006
38,548
350
126
aigomorla said:
They could of easily sued steam over Dota tho.
As well as League of Legends.

Dota's birth was originated on Warcraft3.
Infact Dota still shares some of warcraft3's characters.

But blizzard realized it would be a money sink battle against steam, which im sure Gabe would fight until the bitter end where both parties would just get tired of it.

Anyhow, its going to be hard to prove PUBG holds any grounds for anything.
The entire start in the air parachuting has been used in many games.
Infact EA could sue PUBG then because thats how i remember battlefield also starting if you'd spawn on a full squad mate or even in a helicopter.

The whole last man to die, Unreal Tournament had that... infact fortnight is made by the makers of unreal tourny, So yeah, good luck proving the entire last man to die is yours.
Click to expand...

Copyright law in software it seems to be has been out of control. Press a button for something, copyright! So on the merits your post seems reasonable; the question I'd have though is what they actually have legally. Who knows, but they have lawyers to advise them if they have as little grounds as you suggest. Maybe it's a deep pockets hope to settle approach.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

TRENDING THREADS

COMPANY
RESOURCES
FOLLOW
Top Bottom