When the San Mateo court gavel finally dropped this May, it marked the end of a five-year showdown between gaming giants that felt like watching two kaiju monsters slugging it out over a golden island called Battle Royale. The verdict? Krafton proved NetEase broke their 2019 settlement terms, but that sweet $65M damage claim? Poof – vanished like a loot box with empty promises.

🔥 The Timeline Throwdown

  • 2018 May: PUBG's parent company Krafton throws the first punch, accusing NetEase's Knives Out and Rules of Survival of being "photocopy versions" of their battle royale blueprint

  • 2019 March: Both companies pinky-promise to settle privately (spoiler: it didn't last)

  • 2020: NetEase allegedly breaks deal terms, like a player ignoring tutorial instructions

  • 2023 May 1: Courtroom battle royale begins in US

  • 2025 May: Judge rules NetEase owes "liquidated damages" – translation: pay up, but not $65M

This ain't Krafton's first rodeo though. Remember when they:

  1. 💥 Sued Garena's Free Fire in 2022 ("copycat alert!")

  2. 💥 Took on Epic Games' Fortnite in 2018... then mysteriously dropped the case?

💡 Personal Take:

Watching these legal battles feels like seeing PUBG play third-person spectator mode to its own clones. NetEase's games did the Fortnite-floss over PUBG's grave, but proving "damages" in court? That's harder than finding a chicken dinner in solo queue. The real winner? Lawyers collecting those hourly rates like rare weapon skins.

🎮 The Clone Wars Impact

While NetEase has to pay undisclosed damages, their mobile games already cashed in:

Game Downloads (2024) Revenue
Knives Out 250M+ $2.1B+
Rules of Survival 180M+ $1.4B+

Meanwhile, PUBG Mobile: cries in $10 billion lifetime revenue

🤔 FAQ Time!

Q: Why does Krafton keep suing everyone?

A: Imagine baking a cake (PUBG) then seeing neighbors sell identical cakes with different frosting. They're the Gordon Ramsay of copyright claims.

Q: What's "liquidated damages"?

A: Basically a consolation prize – like getting 2nd place in battle royale when #1 cheated.

Q: Will this affect players?

A: Unless NetEase removes iconic elements (looking at you, pan-melee-weapon), probably not. Game on!

Q: Who copied who first?

A: Fortnite: 😇 PUBG: 👿 Minecraft Hunger Games mod: 👴 Hold my beer...

💬 Final Thought:

In the end, we're all just players caught in crossfire between corporate titans. As one B站 commenter put it: "当大哥（PUBG）开始维权，小弟们（clones）连呼吸都是错的" – brutal but kinda true?