Epic Games' legal department isn't out of work this summer, to say the least. Even though Fortnite is already at war with Apple and Google, another file is being added to the pile. It's an accusation of plagiarism by the owner of a tourist site located south of Miami, Florida.
It accuses Epic Games of having copied and integrated in ApolloIsland the name and appearance of its museum: Coral Castle. Polygon explains that the owner wants the name "Coral Castle" to be removed from Fortnite and that financial compensation should be paid to him.
Coral Castle that exists for real in Florida is a vast piece of land dotted with carved stones. It's said to have been built in 1939, before becoming a tourist attraction.
The museum's lawyers speak of plagiarism by pointing to elements of ruins, water features and stone items, which would be similar in both cases.
In Fortnite, the location of Coral Castle appeared on August 1, following the release of the Aquaman skin on the game. It has been dated for a long time, but the place could have been called something else. A large part of the community was waiting for the name "Atlantis" to designate this place. This would also have echoed the original kingdom of Aquaman.
Epic Games, which has still not commented publicly on this case, must launch its lawyers in a new legal battle. The stakes are higher than it seems, since the Coral Castle location could well be linked to the ultimate cosmetics and aquatic features of this Season 3, in the coming weeks.
Original content by Romain "Zorg" Becquelin.
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