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PUBG Corp Drops Lawsuit Against Fortnite
That was short-lived.
PUBG Corp, the studio behind PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds and a subsidiary of Korean publisher Bluehole, is dropping its lawsuit against Epic Games.
Bloomberg reports that the company sent a letter of withdrawal to Epic Games' lawyers on Monday, and the case has been closed.
PUBG Corp. and its legal representatives have reportedly confirmed the course of action, but neither disclosed the reason behind it, or indicated if a settlement had been reached.
The South Korean studio filed the lawsuit in January with the Seoul Central District Court, alleging that Epic Games Korea was guilty of copyright infringement over the similarities between PUBG and Fortnite.
PUBG Corp. initially contemplated legal action back in September, with Bluehole vice president Chang Han Kim saying, "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.
"We have also noticed that Epic Games references PUBG in the promotion of Fortnite to their community and in communications with the press. This was never discussed with us and we don’t feel that it’s right."
PUBG Corp. launched another lawsuit earlier this year against Chinese publisher NetEase for copyright infringement over its mobile-only games Rules of Survival and Knives Out.
PUBG has recently rolled out its new Event Pass, but it has been met with a huge player backlash, with complaints over the rampant cheating still prevalent in the game, and what players view as greedy business practices, and a failure to optimise the game.
The studio responded by placating players with free items following the outcry.
Shabana is a freelance writer who enjoys JRPGs, wine, and not finishing games. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram.