Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Gaming
  3. News

Epic Games sued by Florida museum over Fortnite destination

By

It’s been a tumultuous week for Epic Games, and it’s only getting stranger. The Fortnite developer is now being sued by Coral Castle, a rock garden that shares a name with a location in Fortnite’s latest season.

Referred to as “Florida’s Stonehenge,” the real-world Coral Castle is a museum that’s home to an elaborate rock garden in Miami.

Recommended Videos

Meanwhile, the digital Coral Castle appeared at the beginning of Fortnite’s aquatic-themed third season. The location serves as a stand-in for Atlantis in the game and features a large stone structure akin to the Miami tourist stop.

Related

The similarities led the company that owns the destination, Coral Castle Inc., to sue Epic for infringing on its trademark. The complaint states that the use of the name, in addition to visual similarities, could lead to public confusion.

“The likelihood of confusion is only exacerbated by the fact that Fortnite: Battle Royale and the real Coral Castle share common marketing and advertising themes, such as castles and nautical elements. Specifically, due to these common themes, purchasers are more likely to believe that the ‘Coral Castle’ location in Fortnite: Battle Royale is authorized, approved, and/or sponsored by Plaintiff.”

Coral Castle Inc. is seeking damages for what it describes as “trademark infringement and unfair competition,” citing Florida’s Deceptive and Unfair Trade Practices Act.

The news comes at a particularly weird time for Epic Games. The studio began a legal war with Apple after the company removed Fortnite from the App Store for sidelining Apple’s in-app payment system, which takes a 30% cut from purchases. Shortly thereafter, Fortnite was removed from the Google Play Store.

In response, Epic sued both Google and Apple for violating antitrust laws. The studio released a full campaign against the mobile giants, which includes a video parodying an old Apple ad inspired by George Orwell’s 1984.

Coral Castle’s lawsuit is small in the grand scheme of that current legal war, but the timing is undoubtedly inconvenient for Epic. Players who want to see what the fuss is all about can log into Fortnite (on anything other than an iPhone or Android device) and drop into Coral Castle in the top right corner of the game’s current map.

Editors' Recommendations

Topics
Giovanni Colantonio
Giovanni Colantonio
Section Editor, Gaming
Giovanni is a writer and video producer focusing on happenings in the video game industry. He has contributed stories to…
The best places to land in Fortnite (Chapter 5, Season 2)

Survival is key in Fortnite, and it all starts by picking the best starting location. Even if you're an expert player, your likelihood of coming out on top is greatly diminished if you start off on the wrong foot -- whether it be at a barren location with no loot or a hot drop that could lead to a swift death.

As part of Fortnite Chapter 5 Season 2, there's no shortage of fantastic landing spots, but which one is best comes down to your skill and preference. With that in mind, here are the best places to land in Fortnite for veterans, beginners, and everyone in between.
The best places to land in Fortnite
Before jumping into the list of the best places to land in Fortnite, it's important to be aware of what makes a good landing spot. Sure, any place with decent loot might serve you well, but there's more to consider than that. Does a spot have a consistent chest/loot spawn? Are there guaranteed materials? Is it close to other places of interest (POI)s? Is it out of the way? Of course, loot is the most important aspect, but it does you no good to have a stacked loadout if you're stuck in the storm. These recommended landing spots all have some degree of consistency and fantastic loot. they also typically have some quirk that makes them effective depending on your playstyle.
1. Mount Olympus

Read more
Where to find Vendetta Flopper in Lego Fortnite
Characters fishing in LEGO Fortnite.

The fishing update to Lego Fortnite added, you guessed it, the ability to fish once you've made yourself a rod. Of course, since fish didn't exist in the game before this, an entire school of undersea life needed to be created. Every fish you can catch has a different benefit, from restoring a bunch of health when you eat it to giving you some kind of buff. The rarest and most useful fish is certainly the Vendetta Flopper, making it the most coveted catch in the game. While fishing is still heavily dependent on luck, you won't even have a chance at this fish unless you know where to cast your line.
Where to find the Vendetta Flopper

Before you even attempt to attempt this legendary catch, make sure you're ready with an Epic fishing rod and Epic Bait Bucket to give yourself the best chance at a rare catch. The nest step is to only cast into the glowing purple zones that indicate the presence of rare fish. Fishing in any other part of the water won't yield the Vendetta Flopper we're after.

Read more
Fortnite is getting a Disney universe made by Epic Games
Concept art for Disney's Fortnite experience.

Epic Games is partnering with Disney to create “an all-new games and entertainment universe” that’s compatible with Fortnite.

Announced Wednesday afternoon — at the same time as it was announced that ESPN would be available as a standalone subscription in 2025 —  this partnership follows a $1.5 billion investment in Epic Games by Disney. They companies now plan to work together over several years to create this experience connected to Fortnite, which Disney says will “offer a multitude of opportunities for consumers to play, watch, shop and engage with content, characters and stories from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars, Avatar, and more.”

Read more