Fortnite Just Copied Apex Legends' Ping System

Apex Legends reviews have praised the game for a number of features, but one specific detail people like is the battle royale game's ping system, which allows players great versatility when communicating. Fortnite's Season 8 update, which is fresh out of Epic Games' oven, has introduced a remarkably similar feature.

Fortnite: Battle Royale players can press middle mouse button on PC or left bumper, L1, or L on Xbox One, PS4, and Switch, respectively to mark various points of interest for teammates. Similar to Apex Legends' system, pressing that button once will simply create a ping towards a location, item, or weapon, while double tapping it will produce a red icon indicating an enemy nearby.

Epic could have been working on this since before Apex Legends' launch, of course, but the timing--the feature making its way to Fortnite just weeks after Apex's release--would be a remarkable coincidence. The company was also seen as reacting to the success of Apex when it decided to offer the Season 8 Battle Pass for free to anyone who completed enough Overtime challenges in recent weeks.

Fortnite's Season 8 began just recently, which brings with it gameplay changes and tweaks, as well as a brand new Battle Pass. For those not familiar, the Battle Pass allows players to unlock cosmetics and customization features, provided they play Fortnite to accrue experience and level it up. The Battle Pass has over 100 levels, which means over 100 rewards.

Beyond that, the most notable change in Season 8 is to the Fortnite island. This time around pirates, ninjas, and creatures from within a newly emerged volcano are all set to tussle over some treasure. Along with the volcano, new locations for Season 8 include Sunny Steps and Lazy Lagoon, while new weapons include the Pirate Cannon, which can be used to destroy structures from a distance.