Fortnite: Battle Royale may not have a fan in PlayerUnkown’s Battlegrounds‘ studio Bluehole Studio Inc., but that isn’t stopping it from reaching a ton of players. The standalone, free-to-play Fortnite “companion” has reached 10 million players since launching on September 26 for PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC.
The original Fortnite is still in Early Access. It has players working cooperatively to build structures and fight off zombie-like creatures. Fortnite: Battle Royale takes the crafting component and adds in the open-world last-man-standing multiplayer mayhem made popular by PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds.
PUBG is still in Early Access, but it has already sold more than 13 million copies. That might make it look like Fortnite: Battle Royale could become an even bigger deal, but you can’t compare those numbers directly. Fortnite: Battle Royale is free-to-play, while PUBG costs $30 to own. Fortnite: Battle Royale is also available on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC, while PUBG is only available on PC. An Xbox One version is coming later this year.
PUBG’s Bluehole is not happy about Fortnite: Battle Royale’s similarities. The company has also raised objections because Epic Games makes the Unreal Engine tool that Bluehole uses to develop PUBG, with Bluehole feeling there could be a conflict of interest there.
