- KRAFTON is alleging that “Biubiubiu,” an esports movie, may have borrowed too readily from PUBG
- The company has not reached a decision yet whether it will sue the company over alleged data infringement
- Biubiubiu makers have denied the allegations and argued that they have not infringed on PUBG and KRAFTON IP
Did Biubiubiu, the world's first “battle royale esports film” copy from KRAFTON's PUBG? The company may be considering filing a lawsuit to find out.
Esports' First Battle Royale Movie Faces Challenges
PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds developer KRAFTON has been miffed at a new esports movie that focuses on a battle royale world that bears similarities with the game franchise. Because of this, KRAFTON is now deliberating whether to sue the director of the Chinese movie.
Called “Biubiubiu,” the flick essentially depicts a world where video gaming is taken seriously and players participate in a battle royale game for bragging rights, honor, and money. The players join a PUBG-like survival-of-the-fittest competition. However, the company is not quite sure if the model isn't copying straight from PUBG.
According to KRAFTON that is the case, although the director has denied the allegations and argued that it was not based on PUB. Biubiubiu has self-titled itself as the “first esports battle royal movie,” making another challenging claim. Not only that, but the flick's cover poster is clearly inspired by PUBG and the overall feeling of the title definitely looks like KRAFTON's PUBG poster.
The movie blends live-action acting with CGI with the gamers participating in an unnamed title, which bears a striking resemblance to PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. The flick has been released on YouTube and has been seen by 200,000 people at the time of writing.
Is This Movie Bad for PUBG?
While intellectual property infringement is definitely not something we endorse, there may be some positives for KRAFTON after all. The comment section on YouTube is quite positive, with many viewers arguing that even though they have never played the game, they would be interested in exploring it.
That could be a reference to PUBG, because people may be immediately associating the movie with PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, which is a point in KRAFTON's case in a potential future lawsuit.
However, Biubiubiu seems to have got people excited about the battle royale genre, and this should be considered a small token of success. The only odd part is the interpersonal story between a gamer and his wife and their custody battle.