The PUBG Battle Pass is causing some controversy, with the new Event Pass seeming very similar to the very successful Fortnite Battle Pass.
The PUBG Battle Pass (or «Event Pass,» as it’s officially called) arrives with the Sanhok map on June 22, bringing new challenges for players to complete. The PUBG Event Pass is a paid-for progression system, which allows users to «level up» and unlock unique rewards. This system won’t be replacing the existing loot crates. Instead, both loot crates and the Event Pass will be available as additional microtransactions.
The elephant in the room here is that Fortnite, arguably the biggest competitor of PUBG, already has a very similar system in place. What makes this all the more awkward, is that PUBG management is suing the Fortnite team for copying.
While the PUBG developers would no doubt vehemently deny that they were inspired by Fortnite, I think it’s kind of obvious that the Fortnite Battle Pass has been copied here. Even if just as a starting point, you can’t ignore the similarities between the two. Both PUBG and Fortnite have passes that players buy, which they then level up in order to earn cosmetic rewards. These passes also last for a set length of time… I guess it’s all just a coincidence!
As they are so similar, it’s hard to have a PUBG Event Pass vs Fortnite Battle Pass showdown. However, we do know that the PUBG Event Pass only lasts for four weeks, while the Fortnite Battle Pass usually lasts 10 weeks. Of course, to know the true value proposition, we’ll have to see just how much PUBG ‘s variant ends up costing.
With Fortnite, the Battle Pass was a pretty original idea, as the game’s story tends to be told through the various Seasons and unique missions. With PUBG, it looks like the Event Pass will focus on a specific map and offer rewards suited to that environment. Regardless, if you’re a fan of these games, the passes will offer you more to do. Having a progression system does generally work to keep players invested.
