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  • PUBG is suing Garena, Apple, Google and YouTube over Free Fire

    PUBG is suing Garena, Apple, Google and YouTube over Free Fire

    PUBG is one of the most popular online shooter games in recent years, and it has had a significant impact on both the desktop and mobile gaming scenes. PUBG is credited with popularizing the online multiplayer battle royale genre, in addition to fueling competitive e-sports. Following PUBG’s success, a slew of other franchises have put their toes in the genre. PUBG’s untimely prohibition in India also left a gap in the market, which others quickly filled before PUBG could respond. PUBG’s creators have now filed a lawsuit against Free Fire’s creators, as well as Apple, Google, and YouTube, alleging IP infringement.

    pubg battlegrounds

    As Reuters reports, PUBG developer Krafton Inc has filed a lawsuit in the Central District Court of California, alleging that Garena Online’s Free Fire and Free Fire Max games copy several copyrighted aspects of PUBG: Battlegrounds, including its game structure, in-game items, equipment, and locations.

    Free Fire and Free Fire Max extensively copy numerous aspects of Battlegrounds, both individually and in combination, including Battlegrounds’ copyrighted unique game opening “air drop” feature, the game structure and play, the combination and selection of weapons, armor, and unique objects, locations, and the overall choice of color schemes, materials, and textures.

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    Apple, Google, and YouTube are also named as defendants in the lawsuit: Apple and Google distribute Free Fire through their own app stores, and it’s been reported that Free Fire sales in the United States generated millions of dollars in income in the first three months of 2021. Meanwhile, Free Fire gameplay footage and a Chinese film Biubiubiu, which is supposed to be a live-action portrayal of the game, are allegedly available on YouTube. According to the lawsuit, Krafton ordered Garena to stop “exploiting Free Fire and Free Fire Max,” but Garena refused. Apple and Google have been ordered to stop distributing the games, and YouTube has been urged to remove footage, both of which have yet to be done.

    Krafton consequently had to file the lawsuit, requesting the court to block the distribution and sales of the Free Fire games, the infringing videos, in addition to requesting damages that include the companies’ profits from Free Fire sales. It remains to be seen how this plays out in court.

  • Get your 4 exclusive rewards when you pre-register for PUBG in India

    Get your 4 exclusive rewards when you pre-register for PUBG in India

    PUBG Mobile was banned in India back in 2020 during a spree of Chinese app bans in the country. While it seemed clear the game would return as an Indian variant devoid of the Tencent server issue that caused the game to get banned in the first place, today, Krafton has confirmed the game is returning to the country as Battlegrounds Mobile India.

    Youtube video

    The first trailer for Battlegrounds Mobile India can be seen above, but it is only a teaser, so no gameplay is shown. I’m not sure why developers keep announcing games with nothing to show. Still, it stands to reason that Battlegrounds Mobile India will operate in the same manner as the original PUBG. However, it’s clear that the game will have its own eSports ecosystem separate from the main title. This also means that in-game events will differ between the two titles, and that the player base will soon be divided between two versions (the Lite version was recently retired), with a third game called PUBG New State arriving later this year. That is a lot of PUBG, possibly too much.

    pubg india
    Pre-Register

    So far, Krafton is tight-lipped on what to expect from Battlegrounds Mobile India, though a website is available, not that it details anything important. As most would assume, the game will be limited to India, it will be free-to-play, and a period for pre-registration will take place at a later date that’s yet to be revealed. Luckily TechCrunch has a few more details, and so we know the game will offer a number of restrictions to limit spending and game time for minors, and it will require a phone number of a parent or guardian to play if underage.

    Of course, as development moves forward, I’m sure we’ll hear more about Battlegrounds Mobile India, its planned pre-registration period, and eventually its release date. So stay tuned, as this story is far from over.