SAN FRANCISCO, July 30 ― While Fortnite was distributing over US$60 million (RM247 million) in prizes over the weekend, its Battle Royale forerunner PUBG was fighting back through a new season of content and a carefully timed sale.

Fortnite was making millionaires out of some of the world's best video game players on July 27 and 28, as fans, presenters, pro gamers, and studio staff gathered for the title's first World Cup Finals.

Less than two years after its September 2017 debut, the last-person-standing game was in a position to deliver US$3 million to the winners of its Duos team finals on July 27 and another US$3 million to its Solo champion on July 28.

DJ Marshmello played for the crowds and presenters urged their stadium and online audiences to fill social media with commentary and reaction, emphasizing the size and allure of each competition's winnings.

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When Fortnite launched its free Battle Royale mode in September 2017, it was in response to the surging popularity of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds (or PUBG), which had debuted six months earlier.

That swift pivot led Fortnite to establish itself on consoles before PUBG's arrival.

Remaining loyal to the military survival aesthetic at Battle Royale's genre roots, PUBG has adopted elements from Fortnite through the introduction of seasonal content updates and associated Battle Passes.

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Just days in advance of the Fortnite World Cup, PUBG Season 4 began on July 24, bringing not only a US$9.99 Battle Pass and the usual assortment of challenges, items, and costumes, but also a variety of missions that take players through a remaster of PUBG's original island map, Erangel, in line with an emerging story laid out in its new cinematic trailer. ― AFP-Relaxnews