‘Fortnite’ Made An Estimated $1.8 Billion In 2019, Leading All Free-To-Play Games

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“Fortnite”

Credit: Epic Games

Topline: While the fervor around Fortnite has cooled off a bit, it remains the most lucrative free-to-play game in the world, making an estimated $1.8 billion in 2019, according to an annual report from Nielsen’s SuperData.

The substantial number also helps illustrate what a phenomenon Fortnite became in 2018, with SuperData estimating the game pulled in a record-breaking $2.4 billion in revenue during that year.

The report estimates total digital games revenue across mobile, PC and console was $109 million for 2019, with free-to-play games like Apex Legends and Fortnite making up 80% of the share.

Last year, Epic Games announced Fortnite had crossed 250 million registered players, and it continued to dominate headlines with its $30 million World Cup in Queens, N.Y., and a season-ending event that led to its Chapter 2 overhaul.

Tencent-published games make up the majority of the list, as they have a substantial stake in Fortnite creator Epic Games, a Chinese publishing deal for Nexon's Dungeon Fighter Online ($1.6 billion) and outright ownership of Honour of Kings ($1.6 billion) and League of Legends ($1.5 billion).

With fewer blockbuster titles released last year, revenue from premium game downloads decreased 5% to $18.9 billion, led by Electronic Arts’ FIFA 19.

Big Number: Forbes estimates Epic Games cofounder and CEO Tim Sweeney is worth $4.5 billion.

Crucial Quote: From SuperData's report: “[Fortnite] has been extremely successful at converting players to spenders. While Fortnite has fewer players than League of Legends, Fortnite players on PC are more than twice as likely to spend on in-game content as the League of Legends audience."

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