PUBG Corp., the developer and publisher of the massive popular PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, has finally launched a lawsuit against the company behind a pair of blatant PUBG Mobile clones.
While the rip-offs may have arrived first to the iOS and Android than PUBG Mobile, the games are obviously based on PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds for the PC and Xbox One.
'PUBG' Developer Files Lawsuit Against Rip-Offs
PUBG Corp. has filed a lawsuit against NetEase, the company behind Rules of Survival and Knives Out for the iOS and Android. These two mobile games are being accused of copyright infringement, and it is easy to see why.
Rules of Survival and Knives Out, released before PUBG Mobile, heavily borrow certain elements from PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. These copied features include, but are not limited to, 100-player Battle Royale matches that start with players jumping out of an airplane, a shrinking play area, certain weapons and vehicles, and even the iconic "Winner Winner Chicken Dinner" message. There are many other examples of alleged copyright infringements in the 155-page document that PUBG Corp. submitted.
Making matters worse are the numerous references to Rules of Survival and Knives Out as "PUBG on phone" and other similar descriptions. This confuses gamers that the two games are connected to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and PUBG Mobile, when they are nothing more than rip-offs.
PUBG Corp. actually tried to deal with the matter earlier, when it approached Apple in January to request an action against the alleged infringements on the App Store. NetEase, however, refused to take down the games and denied that they were breaching copyrights. That looked like the last straw for PUBG Corp., which filed the lawsuit in a federal court in California.
'PUBG' vs 'Fortnite'
The legal challenge by PUBG Corp. brings back memories of when its parent company, Bluehole Studio, spoke out against the inclusion of a Battle Royale mode in Fortnite by Epic Games. The feud eventually died down, with Fortnite growing into the biggest rival of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds.
Fortnite has now entered the mainstream, with brands like ESPN trying (and failing) to ride on its popularity. Girlfriends everywhere have even started petitions to ban Fortnite, as the game has stolen the attention of their boyfriends.
PUBG Corp. has its hands full with such a worthy rival in the Battle Royale scene. As such, it makes sense to get rid of the clones, so that gamers will play the original PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds or PUBG Mobile instead.
