Krafton Sues Apple, Google, and Garena over PUBG Clone Games
Jan. 14, 2022PUBG aka PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds maker Krafton has sued Google, Apple, and its rival Garena. Garena is being sued for its uber-popular Free Fire battle royale game, which has allegedly copied PUBG: Battlegrounds, the PC version of the battle royale game. How are Google and Apple involved in this? It’s because they host the Garena Free Fire game on their app stores. Here are the details.
Garena Free Fire Sued!
As per alawsuit filedin the Central District Court of California, Garena’s Free Fire and Free Fire Max (which was launched in September last year), has copied various elements of PUBG, including its “airdrop 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.“
Apart from suing Google and Apple for listing the games on their app stores and distributing them to users, Krafton has targeted YouTube too, forhosting the games’ gameplay videos and a feature-length Chinese film, which is a live-action dramatization of the game.
Krafton says that Garena has earned “hundreds of millions of dollars” from the sales of both its games, and Apple and Google have tasted similar fruits of the game by getting a fee for listing the games on the Play Store and the App Store, respectively.
The lawsuit showcases the similarity in both the Krafton-owned and Garena-owned games. For instance, the maps and various locations look quite similar. Here’s a look at some of them for your reference:
Garena responded to the claims by saying that “Krafton’s claims are groundless.” Google and Apple are yet to provide a comment on this situation. However, one thing worth noting is that cloning stuff is common these days. We have seen a number of clones of popular apps like TikTok and even thecurrently popular Wordle word game. Considering PUBG’s revenue can take a hit with the clones’ ever-growing popularity, it could prove problematic for the company. It remains to be seen who wins this lawsuit.
Meanwhile, do let us know your thoughts on this matter in the comments below!
Started off as a stranger but tech is more like a good friend, thanks to over 5 years in the industry. While everything is attractive about tech, phones, social media, and quirky gadgets attract me the most. When not working, I find my solace in shopping and everything that concerns doggos!
