Last month, Epic Games introduced the Survive the Storm game mode to its new game Fortnite. Those who had played the multiplayer loot shooter since its debut in July welcomed the arrival of brand new content, but it seems that Epic Games has far more up its sleeves.

Today, Epic announced that Fortnite will be adding a new game mode called Battle Royale. Arriving on September 26, Battle Royale will put 100 players in a giant map, challenging them to be the last commander standing. The developer says that it combines "Fortnite building skills and destructible environments are combined with intense PvP combat."

Epic explains that the Unreal Tournament team at the company has been experimenting with the mode for a few months as it continued to update the core game. Though, despite being in the works for several months, Epic doesn't expect things to be smooth for Fortnite players who jump into Battle Royale early, joining in on the Public Test. The developer expects there to be crashes and bugs and says that the servers may even break too, but this is par for the course as Epic prepares the new game mode for its full release.

But while many Fortnite players are delighted to play the new game mode, others are already accusing Epic Games of just making a rip-off of (battle royale game) PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Battlegrounds has sold tremendously already, shifting millions of copies on PC since March, despite still being in Early Access. This latest Fortnite announcement is being seen as a way of cashing in on the battle royale popularity. Some argue that this isn't just a case of Epic being inspired by PUBG, as the developer claims in the mode's announcement post.

Even if the mode does wind up being a clone, that switches out PUBG's realism for Fortnite's Pixar-like characters, the mode could pay off massively for Epic Games. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds may well end up being a timed exclusive on Xbox One, but it will still be a while until PS4 players get to experience that game's battle royale gameplay. Even Xbox One players still have to wait until later in the year to get their hands on PlayerUnknown's hit title.

For console players who don't want to wait to scratch that battle royale itch, Fortnite could be a very alluring alternative. So although Epic Games' latest has sold one million copies so far, the Battle Royale game mode could help that figure reach the stars.

Fortnite is out now on PC, PS4 and Xbox One.

Source: Epic Games