It’s fascinating.
First, names. You know I like to pay attention to that. PUBG’s name is an acronym and even though when there was no competition it was fine, now it makes an impact.
On one hand you have Bluehole’s Player Unknown’s BattleGround. Weird. Sounds like a malware/hack tool.
On the other hand you have Epic’s Fortnite Battle Royale. Okay!
The latter just sounds more legit, even though it’s the one copying the former. Battle Royale is not even used, Fortnite became the game’s name by default (even though Fortnite is a different game at first).
It’s confusing.
Also both games are powered by Unreal Engine, owned by Epic. I can’t even imagine the tension and heavy breathing going on in those studios.
Aesthetically, Epic’s colorful game is immediately more prone to be picked up to chill and have a good time with after a day at work. The grim and realistic tone of PUBG is not that sexy, never was. Once again, it’s not detrimental when the gameplay and experience brought are unique. They’re not now.
Moreover, Fortnite brings some nifty mechanics with the building part. Watching a good player like that Ninja dude is mesmerizing. It looks so fun. It takes a very realistic concept to another level (you can basically build while moving so you create your own stairs to take over an enemy, that kind of thing).
Epic has been aggressive as hell with the F2P part. Also the sound design is much funnier and engaging with a wide variety of people (though I think the weapons’ sounds are a bit brutal).
I’m pretty sure the F2P model brought so many people of color to the game. Fortnite seems a lot more popular with black and brown people than PUBG. We broke, don’t judge, read. And now that rappers and celebrities stream it the snowball effect is in full effect.
Both games are available on a lot of platforms including mobile but of course, it’s when you play with a keyboard and a mouse that shit gets done. Crossplay is so unfair. Windows computers still are the master race aren’t they. Mouse control is so insanely precise and fast compared to a thumb on a controller. But, it doesn’t matter too much. As long as people have fun, which is the case. Also, eyeballs.
Can both games coexist? Will one win the battle? It fascinates me. *grabs popcorn*