This week in video games, June 11, 2018: PUBG publisher sues Fortnite maker for copyright violation

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      Five games were given Apple design awards last week, including one made in Toronto. Plus, the forthcoming Atari console will be joined by an Intellivision console, proving that retro is in. But first, the publisher of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds has filed a suit against Epic Games, the publisher of Fortnite.

      Meanwhile, the annual Electronic Entertainment Expo (E3) is going on this week, so look for all the highlights in next week’s roundup.

      PUBG suing Epic Games for copyright violation

      The publisher of PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) is suing the publisher of Fortnite in South Korea.

      PUBG alleges that Epic Games is infringing on copyright by using PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds to promote Fortnite Battle Royale. The PUBG game was developed using Unreal Engine 4, which is licensed from Epic.

      Both games have become popular because of the "battle royale" multiplayer mode, which has up to 100 players fighting it out until only one is left. The game space becomes treacherous as it shrinks over time, killing any player outside the zone and forcing encounters between the remaining players.

      The genre takes its name from the Japanese film Battle Royale, released in 2000.

      PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds was first released in a beta version in March of 2017 and was in full release last December.

      Fortnite was first released as a sandbox survival game in the fall, but Epic developed Fortnite Battle Royale and released it separately as a free-to-play title in September.

      Alto’s Odyssey nabs Apple Design Award

      Endless runner Alto’s Odyssey, developed by Toronto indie studio Snowman, is one of ten iOS apps that were recognized with Apple design awards at last week’s Worldwide Developers Conference.

      The game, a sequel to 2015’s Alto’s Adventure, has players controlling the movements of a sandboarder through dreamlike environments.

      In a release, Snowman cofounder Ryan Cash said: “We’re absolutely floored receiving an Apple Design Award for Alto’s Odyssey. It’s an extreme honour to receive this global recognition among a talented group of incredible developers.”

      Five of the 10 apps getting awards were games. The others were Florence, Frost, Inside, and Oddmar.

      Atari, Intellivision game consoles are making a comeback

      You’re forgiven if it feels a bit like 1980, with all the talk of Atari and Intellivision consoles.

      Really, it’s just companies seeing an opportunity to capitalize on some nostalgia. Just look at what Nintendo has done with the NES and SNES systems.

      The Atari VCS, pictured above, is now an Indiegogo project, with a collector’s edition priced at US$299 and the standard Onyx edition set at $199. It will play more than 100 classic Atari games, new games, and will stream media.

      Meanwhile, musician and composer Tommy Tallarico, who created the Video Games Live touring show, has been named the president of Intellivision Entertainment, which has been formed to develop and sell the game console. The original system was the first 16-bit game console. The company says details of the new hardware will be revealed in October.

      Games released or releasing soon

      • Hitman: Definitive Edition, for PS4, Windows, and Xbox One, collects all the updates and story lines from the first season of the rebooted action title.
      • Hours of Darkness, an add-on adventure for Far Cry 5, puts players in the shoes of Wendell “Red” Redler, one of the characters from the main game, during his time in Vietnam during the war.
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