Fortnite Profits Surprisingly Slumped In 2020

Fortnite is still the biggest game in the world — if not quite in terms of audience, then in terms of attention and revenue. According to Nielsen’s game-industry research arm, SuperData, Fortnite brought in a staggering $1.8 billion in revenue in 2019. That’s down a quarter from 2018 — when it earned a record-setting $2.4 billion, as Variety reports — but it’s still about $200 million more than its closest competitor, Nexon’s Dungeon Fighter Online.

It’s evidence that Fortnite’s popularity is finally stabilizing. In the last year, it’s gone from surprise, world-rending phenomenon to normal household activity. That’s reflected in the kinds of partnerships Epic Games, Fortnite’s developer, has been striking. In 2019, Fortnite teamed up with everyone from John Wick to the musician Marshmello to the Avengers themselves. And the game ended the year on a massive Star Wars promotion, with a trailer that premiered exclusively on the Fortnite battle royale island.

Those promotions have meant more money and more hype; they also help get players to spend money on Fortnite’s battle pass and its cosmetic items, which are a huge source of revenue. As SuperData noted in its report, Fortnite has fewer players than Riot Games’ League of Legends, but it’s more successful at getting those players to spend money on in-game content.

All of that, of course, means that Fortnite has become another familiar space online. We know what happens on the island; in 2020, expect it to start feeling more like home.