PUBG Vs Free Fire Takes Legal Route: Krafton Files Lawsuit Against Apple, Google, And Garena

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PUBG Mobile has undoubtedly been famous across the world. Developer Krafton is now taking the legal route to ensure that PUBG has no copies or look-alikes. Krafton is suing game developers of Free Fire and Free Fire Max for releasing games that look exactly like PUBG. Plus, it's also suing Google and Apple for distributing such look-alike games.

 

Krafton Sues Garena Over PUBG Look-Alike

Krafton Sues Garena Over PUBG Look-Alike

Krafton has also accused Google of hosting YouTube videos of gameplay of Free Fire and Free Fire Max. To note, both these games are offered by developer Garena, which is also quite popular in India. The game itself arrives as Garena Free Fire and Garena Free Fire Max. What's more, Krafton alleges Garena of earning millions of dollars from sales from the apps, along with Google and Apple.

"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," Krafton said.

Krafton Vs Garena: What Happened
 

Krafton Vs Garena: What Happened

Let's see where all of this began. It dates back to December 21 according to Krafton, who claims to have taken a direct approach to Garena. Krafton has asked Garena to immediately stop the exploitation of Free Fire and Free Fire Max, which Garena has apparently refused. The PUBG-maker further says Garena sold a game in Singapore in 2017 that "copied" PUBG: Battlegrounds.

Back then, the claims were settled. However, there was no license agreement established between the two publishers. Looks like this has once again resurfaced, taking another legal route.

Krafton also asked Google and Apple to stop distributing these two games. Further, Krafton asked Google YouTube to remove the Free Fire and Free Fire Max gameplay videos from YouTube. Krafton says these videos "include elements that blatantly infringe Battlegrounds and, separately, the infringing feature-length film." YouTube hasn't done so.

PUBG Mobile Vs Free Fire

PUBG Mobile Vs Free Fire

When PUBG Mobile was banned in India, a lot of users switched to Free Fire. PUBG later made a comeback as Battlegrounds Mobile India, which also won over users again. At the same time, Krafton also released PUBG Mobile New State, which again became a hit. However, Garena Free Fire and Free Fire Max still hold a major chunk of the gamers' population.

A report from The Verge reveals the profit and growth rates of both PUBG and Free Fire. Here, Free Fire earned USD 1.1 billion in player spending in 2021, which is a 48 percent increase from 2020. At the same time, PUBG Mobile earned USD 2.9 billion in player spending last year, but this was only up by seven percent year-over-year.

Simply put, PUBG Mobile's growth is slowing down just as Free Fire's is shooting up. To note, both are battle royale games. In India, PUBG Mobile has mixed feelings for its addictive nature that makes parents and guardians skeptical about it. On the other hand, Garena Free Fire is also very similar but has somehow remained accepted by many. It remains to see how the lawsuit takes shape.

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