About a month ago, Reddit user Macsterr posted his concept for a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds Xbox One ad. In Macsterr's ad, we see an Xbox One S console with a field on top of it, and a PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds character moving through that field. Macsterr's ad proved fairly popular on Reddit, and it's possible Microsoft's marketing team saw his concept, as it has released an ad that looks strikingly similar.

Microsoft has posted a new ad for PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds on Twitter, though there are some key differences between its ad and Macsterr's work. In Microsoft's version of the PUBG ad, the character is standing on top of an Xbox One X console instead of an Xbox One S, and there's more details, like the character moving toward a supply drop instead of walking through an empty field.

Check out Macsterr's version of the ad right here, which was posted about a month before Microsoft posted its ad:

And here is Microsoft's ad, which allegedly copies Macsterr's work:

Despite these differences, the two ads are way too similar for their similarities to be a coincidence. Unfortunately, though, it seems like it would be impossible for Macsterr to prove that Microsoft stole his ad idea for PUBG, and the company will argue that its marketing team thought of the idea independently from his work.

However, if Macsterr is able to convince potential employers that Microsoft stole his idea for a PUBG Xbox One X ad, it may greatly increase his odds of being hired in the marketing field. Considering the outrage on the Internet over the controversy right now, convincing people that Microsoft stole the ad idea shouldn't be a difficult task for Macsterr.

It's a testament to how important Microsoft feels PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is to the Xbox brand that it is apparently stealing creative ad concepts to promote the game. For further evidence that Microsoft thinks highly of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds, there have been rumblings that Microsoft plans on extending PUBG's Xbox console exclusivity as a way to keep the game from releasing for PS4.

PUBG's popularity shows no signs of slowing down, with the game recently passing 30 million units sold across PC and Xbox One. Whether or not this ad will lead to more sales remains to be seen, but if so, Reddit user Macsterr probably deserves some of the credit.

PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds is available now for PC and on Xbox One through the Game Preview program.

Source: Reddit