Epic Games’ Fortnite has become the highest-grossing game two years in a row with $1.8 billion in revenue last year, a bonkers-high number that’s still a 25% drop from 2018’s record-setting $2.4 billion take. How’s that for free-to-play?
Nielsen-backed data collectors SuperData reported the metrics, attributing Fortnite’s success to “crossover promotions with pop culture blockbusters like Avengers, Stranger Things, and Star Wars” in a year that saw 4% overall growth for the game and interactive media industry despite fewer new titles.
Despite fewer overall players than Riot Games’ chart-topper League of Legends, Fortnite players are more than twice as likely to become purchasers of in-game content — which is consistently updated via fresh chapter installments — making for a model that’s been very lucrative for Epic Games.
SuperData’s report also shows increased sales of standalone VR headsets, platform-exclusive livestreaming deals for gaming video content (GVC) creators, and a 5% dip in the premium game market due to fewer blockbuster-level releases outside of Red Dead Redemption 2 and Marvel’s Spider-Man.
Read SuperData’s year in review to see for yourself how the games and interactive media industry made a collective $120.1 billion in revenue last year — and maybe start your Twitch stream today.
Photo: Epic Games
