Epic Games has once again found itself the butt of the joke thanks to a recent update rolled out for Fortnite.
The battle royale, which continues to be the market leader despite fierce competition from the likes of Apex Legends, received its first major content drop of the year last week in the form of Chapter 2, Season 2: Top Secret. The long-awaited refresh, which arrived later than usual due to various circumstances, has introduced a number of improvements and cosmetics, most notably a new collaborative event with Marvel that’ll eventually see players granted ownership of a neat Deadpool skin.
As for gameplay, Apollo Island has been converted into a Bond villain’s dreamland, replete with all sorts of weird and wacky hideouts that Blofeld would be proud of. Offshore oil rigs, luxury yachts and yes, hollowed-out volcanos are just some of the locales players can and are encouraged to visit, especially as each contains a sealed vault filled to bursting point with powerful loot.
If that description seems familiar, don’t worry – you’re not the only one experiencing déjà vu. Fans of Respawn’s competitive shooter have been quick to point out on social media that the new addition functions almost identically to loot vaults scattered around Apex Legends‘ World’s Edge map and have proceeded to make a few jokes at Epic’s expense. Sadly, many of the memes posted over on the game’s subreddit have since been removed, but suffice it to say, Fortnite‘s reputation for copying its contemporaries isn’t going away anytime soon, especially as this is far from the first instance.
Both Apex‘s lauded ping system and respawn beacons have been lifted nearly wholesale and introduced to Fortnite over the last several months, and while they don’t function identically, the inspiration is clear as day. Imitation is the highest form of flattery, as they say, though we can’t help but wonder what Respawn makes of the obvious poaching of ideas.
What about you, though? Let us know which side of the debate you fall on in the usual place below!