Fortnite: How a free game generates billions and why people play it.
Fortnite is arguably one of the most successful games of all time, and Epic Games' acquisitions rely on that success.
By Ethan Latimer
If you were to search for the top selling games of the last decade, Fortnite would be nowhere to be found. This is because Epic Games, the developer of Fortnite, decided to release the Battle Royale version of the game entirely free of charge in Sept. of 2017.
Fortnite may have even saved Epic Games from financial ruin, as The Verge reported earlier last year during The Apple App Store Case, "After a meteoric rise to popularity in 2018, Fortnite generated more than $5 billion in its first year for Epic Games."
This is all while Epic Games Launcher has been dumping money to gain exclusive deals.
According to a report from Forbes in August of last year, "Epic has sunk $500 million in total into the Epic Game Store so far, and does not expect to be profitable until 2027, almost six years from now.
Fortnite provides a strong economic backbone for Epic Games to rely on for their investing purposes.
A majority of the game's revenue is based on in-game aesthetics such as skins, dances and other in-game items that do not affect the outcome of the game. A remainder of profit is from the original Fortnite, now titled Fortnite: Save the World, which originally was released in July of 2017.
Merchandise also makes up a portion of revenue for Fortnite and Epic Games. As Fortnite is primarily targeted at a younger audience, such is the merchandise. Toys and apparel make up much of the selection along with comic books and collectibles.
Why is Fortnite to popular?
Cross-console compatibility
Many games such as Halo on Xbox and Marvel's Spider-Man on PlayStation are notorious for not being cross console, and thus, limited the amount of potential players. Epic Games initially created the game on PC, with Macintosh support coming shortly thereafter. Since then, most major consoles are compatible with the game as well.
From an Android phone to Nintendo's most affordable console, the Switch Lite, everyone has the opportunity to play the game, even when playing on different devices. This means that a player using an Xbox or PlayStation can play with a friend on a PC simultaneously, voice chat included, wherever they are in the world.
It is easy to learn, hard to master.
Fortnite is notorious for the voxel-based building mechanics of the game, something that many had complaints about. Fortnite developers remedied this by releasing "Zero Build" earlier this year, appeasing to a large player-base that did not have the time to master the mechanics and preferred an alternative style.
Long-term goals
Although each match only lasts an average of 20 minutes, there are quest goals, storylines and more that span the entirety of the three-month season, with progress carrying over between rounds. Most goals are themed for the season and offer unlockable exclusive items.
A "battle pass" is also offered, costing $7.99, which grants the ability to unlock all offered virtual items rather than a select few that "free-to-play" players have access to.
It is completely free
Many developers have been adopting free-to-play aspects into their games. Call of Duty: Warzone and Halo Infinite are two examples, as they also offer a "battle pass" to unlock in-game content, all while giving the players an opportunity to play for free. Fortnite has adopted this practice for the last five years, a major part of the games' success.
In-game events
In April of 2020, Travis Scott performed for an audience of over 12.3 million concurrent players, 45 million over the entire event, generating over $20 million in revenue. There have also been concerts from artists such as Ariana Grande and Marshmello.
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The generated revenue from in-game purchases assists Epic Games in acquiring a greater market share, with their greatest obstacle being Valve's platform, Steam. With over 400 million registered users, 83 million of which play at least once per month and 3 million concurrent players at any given time, Fortnite is here to stay.