Have you heard of this thing called Fortnite? It sure does seem pretty popular!
Epic Games has a certified hit on its hands thanks to Fortnite Battle Royale, the battle royale game that has effectively taken the world by storm. The free-to-play game has managed to not only take over console and PC gaming, but it’s also a huge hit on mobile, too. Last year it was reported that, just on iOS alone, the title had managed to rake in over $300 million in just 200 days. So maybe it’s not too surprising to hear that the game, as a whole, has reportedly raked in over two billion throughout 2018.
Over the course of those twelve months, based on data from the analyst firm SuperData, Fortnite was the top-grossing title last year. The majority of that money comes from in-app purchases, made via V-Bucks (which can be purchased with real money in specific bundles), and emotes like dances. However, the data also revealed that over 30 percent of players also purchased a “Battle Pass”, which allows players to earn even more in-game content, like more emotes and sprays and what not, than someone who is just playing the game without the Battle Pass.
(It should also be noted that the Battle Pass can actually pay for itself, if you invest enough time in it. If you manage to get to the highest level in the Battle Pass, it typically doles out enough V-Bucks within it to pay for the next season’s new Battle Pass. Of course, players can also pay real money to buy tiers to unlock the electronic goodies inside faster, too. There’s plenty of room to spend a lot of money in Fortnite.)
As far as FBR compares to other popular titles out there, 2018 wasn’t even close. Compared to Honour of Kings (or Arena of Valor in the West), which is developed by Tencent, that title earned $1.3 billion in 2018. League of Legends earned $1.4 billion, while Pokémon GO managed to rake in $1.1 billion. Those are free-to-play titles, mind you. The premium game PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) earned $1.035 billion in 2018.
That’s a big year for Epic Games’ battle royale title, and it probably won’t slow down any time soon. Unless, of course, another developer out there can launch a new title this year that can dethrone the title.