Fortnite Battle Royale Brings PUBG-Style PvP to Consoles First, Will be Free-to-Play

Epic Games is beating PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds to consoles by bringing the Battlegrounds-esque Fortnite Battle Royale to consoles. And it will be free-to-play starting September 26 on PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One.

Fortnite Battle Royale is the latest in PUBG-inspired Battle Royale modes (while PUBG didn't invent the mode, it certainly popularized it on a massive scale). Likewise, Fortnite Battle Royale has a similar premise with 100 players dropping in on a single map in a massive PvP mode. Fortnite will include its own construction and destructible environment mechanic which is unique to Fortnite, but presumably the scavenging for weapons and race to be the last player standing remains central to the mode's premise.

Epic Games is promising not to sell any items that give players a competitive edge in multiplayer. Instead, Epic Games is only planning on selling cosmetic items or "compendium-like" content.

Battle Royale for Fortnite will be available as a free download later this month, beating out PUBG's planned Xbox One release which is scheduled for sometime in 2017. You won't even need the base game to download the new Battle Royale mode for Fortnite as it will be available standalone in the digital market.

We've discussed previously that a lot of different studios will race to replicate PUBG's incredible success with the Battle Royale formula, and we're starting to see those predictions come true. It remains to be seen whether PUBG can continue to grow as the market fills with more and more competitors.