Fortnite, the battle-royale phenomenon created by Epic Games, is easily one of the most popular games of the modern era. And while many have acknowledged its popularity, sometimes begrudgingly, it’s hard to fathom just how lucrative Fortnite really is. At least, until now.
Complex has reported that new documents have surfaced in the midst of an ongoing legal battle between Epic Games and Apple, which currently centers around Apple’s removal of Fortnite from the App Store. According to the documents, Fortnite brought in five billion dollars in 2018, as well as an additional four billion in revenue in 2019. Suffice it to say, that’s over nine billion dollars in only two years. Complex also notes that Epic Games reported five-and-a-half billion in profits.
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Given that Fortnite is a free-to-play game in which the bulk of the profit is made through microtransactions (think skins and emotes), it’s clear that the target audience is more than willing to shell out the dollars in droves. Gaming website Kotaku shares a few contextual examples to emphasize the scope of Fortnite’s profitability, noting that Disney previously purchased Star Wars and Lucasfilm for around four billion dollars.
And to think, Fortnite isn’t Epic Games’ only source of revenue. Rocket League, which they acquired in 2019, brought in a haul of one-hundred-and-eight million dollars. Their Unreal Engine, widely utilized in the gaming industry, led to an additional two-hundred-and-twenty million dollars.
As for the ongoing court case, which began Monday: Epic’s lawsuit essentially centers around Apple being a monopoly and abusing its business practices by essentially forcing developers to acquiesce to Apple’s 30% cut should they want to be included on the App Store. Gamespot confirms that a judge will render a verdict in three weeks’ time.
We all knew Fortnite was popular, but seeing those numbers are a truly staggering reminder of how deep its cultural impact truly runs. Be honest — have you spent any money on the game?