PUBG takes US game firm to court

Korean game developer PUBG, a subsidiary of Bluehole, has filed a copyright violation lawsuit against U.S.-based Epic Games, asking a court to determine whether the latter's "Fortnite" was copied from the former's "PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds."A PUBG official said Friday that the firm filed an injunction, alleging copyright infringement, with the Seoul Central District Court against Epic Games Korea.

This is crazy. The two games share the same premise, but are entirely different in almost every element of execution. The games industry has always been refreshingly progressive in the way it handles copying ideas - it is entirely normal for revolutionary ideas and new gameplay elements to rapidly spread throughout the industry. This is one of the main reasons why the gaming world hasn't really stagnated, and keeps coming up with new ideas and fresh takes, and also why small studios and even lone developers are relatively free to make whatever they want, copying ideas left and right.

If this case ever gets any serious traction, it will have a seriously chilling effect on the industry.