Bluehole, the publisher of PUBG is suing NetEase for two of its mobile games (Rule of Survival and Knives Out) over the use of Frying Pan as a melee weapon. According to Bluehole, using a Frying Pan as a melee weapon is a beloved part of PUBG and previous shooter games did not use frying pans as melee weapons, so an idea is stolen?
Unfortunately, that is not the case, PUBG originally stole the idea from another shooter called Team Fortress 2. An update release back in 2010 added frying pans as melee weapons, 7 years before the release of PUBG in early access. However, Valve never sued Bluehole over this matter.
One very beloved aspect of creative expression in Battlegrounds is the game’s iconic frying pan,” reads the claim. “Previous shooter games did not include the use of a frying pan… the imaginative treatment of a frying pan as a melee weapon is made even more remarkable by its further treatment as armor against shots to the butt of a character.
Bluehole also mentions going after Fortnite as part of its “further action” plans. Fortnite overtook PUBG in terms of audience base and since PUBG recently released on mobile, it seems Bluehole is using every opportunity to minimize the competition and not have to face another Fortnite dilemma.
Bluehole is also accusing NetEase of copying locations, bombardments zones aka the red zone, energy drinks (PUBG stole Red Bull’s design FYI), and additionally, using the frying pan to protect your “butt.” The presence of both of these mobile games confused unaware players and tricked them into downloading, according to Bluehole’s claim.
Combined, Rules of Survival and Knives Out have an install base of over 25 million on the Play Store alone. Meanwhile, PUBG is at 10 million+ on the Play Store.
