Fortnite: Free to Use, but a Bottomless Goldmine for the Gaming Industry

Fortnite is the most important game in the industry. Epic Games has over 350 million accounts in Fortnite, higher than the US population! In the game, around 100 players fight to be the last one to fall. Every day, more than one million users connect across different devices like mobiles, PCs, PlayStations, Xboxes, and Nintendos.

Fortnite is a freemium platform, meaning that it is free to play but premium features have a cost.

Its top revenue sources bring in more than $5 million a day. Here are the key elements.

• Skins: Characters and weapon designs that players can use are called skins. Fortnite offers over 1,400 skins, available seasonally. Some skins cost more than 30 dollars! Some skins target certain fandoms, offering characters as Rick and Morty, Dragon Ball, or Harry Potter.

• In-game currency: A virtual currency distracts users from realizing how much they are spending. V-Bucks (Vindertech-Bucks) are used to purchase things like outfits, Battle Passes, or Emotes (emojis or special character movements). Users buy V-bucks in packages, where the more you buy, the lower the cost per unit.

• Subscriptions: For a $13 monthly fee, users can unlock access to limited-edition skins and events.
• Gifts: To keep growing, new members constantly join by receiving skins or subscriptions for their friends.

Other revenue sources:

1. Creator code: This game obtains advertising from celebrities when players write their artist’s creator codes in Fortnite.

2. Fandom leverage. One of the most advanced metaverses, Fortnite attracts other industries, like music. More than 78 million people watched Ariana Grande’s concert in the Fortnite world.