We've seen the battle royale genre explode recently as developers scramble to reproduce or riff on the startling success of PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. But the side-effect of PUBG's popularity—combined with Steam Direct, which now lets anyone with $100 list and sell a game—is an increasing number of games trying to capitalize not on PUBG's features but simply on its name.
Case in point: PlayerUnkn1wn: Friendly Fire, a top-down singleplayer and local multiplayer action game "in which you can play as one and in a circle of friends" and "survive as long as possible fighting off the crowd of beetles while using a huge arsenal of weapons." Three weapons are listed.
"If you are ready to dive into the world of terrible creatures, collecting weapons and other things from boxes then this game is for you," the game's Steam store page adds.
I haven't played it—it's coming to Early Access in a couple of days—and for all I know it's a highly original and compelling gaming experience. Or, it's just a joke. The trailer begins with the words GAME OF THE YEAR, so it's probably just a joke.
Either way, PlayerUnkn1wn: Friendly Fire (it compresses nicely to PUFF, which I admit I actually prefer to PUBG) isn't the first game (nor, I expect, the last) to attempt to gain a few extra looks by copying PUBG's title. In November, a game called PlayerUn4wn: Zombie entered Early Access as well (it's currently sporting 'Mostly Negative' reviews). Meanwhile, a poorly-reviewed FPS called Gamers Unknown Survival appeared (also in Early Access) in September.
