Epic Games Promotes PUBG Mobile In Jab At Apple Over Fortnite Ban

Epic Games' ongoing legal battle with Apple over Fortnite's removal from the App Store may stretch on for the foreseeable future, and CEO Tim Sweeney is having some fun with it while the process plays out. The developer took an unusual tact recently, promoting PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds--a rival battle royale game--to demonstrate the value of Unreal Engine for Apple users. It looks like this battle is going to get a lot weirder before it's over. That is, if it ever does end.

On August 28, Apple promoted a massive new update for PUBG Mobile on iOS, one of the biggest battle royale competitors to Fortnite (which just received its Season 4 update on platforms other than iOS). PUBG Mobile has been a huge success, and has earned over $3 billion from microtransactions.

While Epic Games might normally see PUBG Mobile as its competition, the game does make use of Epic's Unreal Engine--which Apple attempted to cut off updates to on iOS and Mac--so Sweeney decided to promote the game, as well.

The passive-aggressive nature of the tweet certainly isn't lost on us, because if Apple does eventually cease Unreal Engine support on its devices, that would likely impact PUBG Mobile. Unreal is one of the most popular engines in the world, with support on nearly every device including mobile, PC, and consoles. It's not only used for its own games, but has been modified over the years by other studios to fit their projects. Unreal Engine 5 will be supported on next-generation systems.

Epic Games' shots at Apple have continued with its Free Fortnite campaign and tournament. It also gave away assets so players can make their own Free Fortnite merchandise, even giving permission for them to sell it. As the logo parodies one of Apple's earlier designs, it seems Epic is trying to win in the court of public opinion if it can't actually win its lawsuit.

And despite not being as successful as Fortnite, PUBG Mobile has managed to carve out a healthy niche. Its 1.0 update will include major improvements across the board, and a new competition is going to award $2 million in prizes. Unlike Fortnite, it doesn't offer cross-play with PC or console players and is technically a separate game. If you haven't already played it, PUBG is now a free PlayStation Plus game for those with a PS4. Plus members can claim it now and keep it for as long as their subscription is active.