Apex Legends is praised for many things, but one specific feature that players particularly like about this battle royale game is its ping system, which provides tons of versatility when it comes to communication. Now, with its brand new Season 8 update, Fortnite is taking a page out of that book and introducing a strikingly similar mechanic.

Fortnite players can push the middle mouse button if they play on PC or L1, L, or left bumper on PS4, Xbox One, and Switch respectively to signal various points of interest for their teammates to see. Just like how it works in Apex Legend, pressing once will mark a location, weapon, or item, while double tapping will result in a red icon indicating that there’s an enemy nearby.

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The new ping system from Fortnite

Of course, for all we know Epic Games could have been developing this since before the release of Apex Legends, but if that’s the case, then the timing of this addition – just less than a month after Apex made its debut – would be a huge coincidence. The company giving away the Season 8 Battle Pass for free to players who completed a certain number of Overtime challenges in the past few weeks is also regarded as a reaction to Apex’s success.

The Season 8 of Fortnite just began, which adds several changes and tweaks to the gameplay as well as a new Battle Pass. For those who don’t know, the Battle Pass unlocks several cosmetic items for players who purchase it when they level it up through playing the game. There are over 100 levels, equal to over 100 rewards.

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Season 8 features pirates, ninjas, and other creatures

Aside from that, the most prominent change in Season 8 is to the game’s map. A new volcano has emerged, and pirates, ninjas, and other creatures are coming to battle over some sort of treasure. New locations have also been added, including the Sunny Steps and Lazy Lagoon. There are new weapons as well, such as the Pirate Cannon, which can destroy buildings from a distance, or even launch players away too.