Julia Stoll
Research expert covering TV and video media
Epic Games - Statistics & Facts
Epic Games Inc. is a software and video game publisher based in the United States. Epic Games is also the developer of the Unreal Engine, a game engine for video game development. The company is the developer of the Gears of War franchise, and the smash hit Fortnite Battle Royale, which accounts for the biggest share of company's estimated 5.6 billion U.S. dollars in annual gross revenues. Additionally, Epic operates the Epic Games Store.
The constant stream of new gaming content and updates marks Fortnite as a live game. Live gaming services are becoming increasingly popular, as games as a service (GaaS) are monetized over a longer time than games which only generate a one-time purchase. Despite a resurgence in 2020-21, user engagement with Fortnite has been declining for the last year, and while in-game live events in Fortnite still draw large amounts of players, this cannot be said for its audiences on video streaming platform Twitch, which it was once essentially synonymous with. Despite this downturn, Fortnite still ranks as one of the most popular games on video streaming platform Twitch, highlighting the game’s continued earning potential for streamers and eSports players.
In 2022, PC gamers spent approximately 820 million U.S. dollars on gaming content in the Epic Games Store. The EGS also regularly offer free games to users – last year, users claimed 765 million free games worth 2.24 billion U.S. dollars from the digital platform.
One of the biggest headlines regarding the launch of Epic’s own digital storefront was the company’s approach to developer / store revenue split. Gaming stores and app platforms including Valve’s Steam, the Apple App Store, or Google Play, usually take a 30 percent commission cut from game sales and in-game revenues. The Epic Games Store was released with the announcement that the EGS would only claim 12 percent of revenue, leaving 88 percent to the developers. This approach, as well as Epic’s attempt to circumvent Apple’s monetization strategies in the iOS app of Fortnite, has made many headlines, led to Apple removing the app from its App Store, and resulted in the still ongoing lawsuit Epic vs. Apple. Currently, the Fortnite gaming app is not available on the Apple App Store or on Google Play. However, players can install the game via direct download from the Epic Games website, the Samsung Galaxy Store or cloud gaming providers.
Epic Games and the pursuit of new monetization models
Epic Games’ cross-platform title Fortnite operates with a free-to-play (F2P) business model and generates income through the purchase of digital currency V-bucks and seasonal battle passes. A battle pass can either be offered for free or purchase and rewards the player with in-game items for completing challenges and playing the game over a set amount of time. Fortnite’s gaming content is loosely structured into seasons. Each season brings new gameplay elements, exclusive cosmetic objects, and changes to the in-game map.The constant stream of new gaming content and updates marks Fortnite as a live game. Live gaming services are becoming increasingly popular, as games as a service (GaaS) are monetized over a longer time than games which only generate a one-time purchase. Despite a resurgence in 2020-21, user engagement with Fortnite has been declining for the last year, and while in-game live events in Fortnite still draw large amounts of players, this cannot be said for its audiences on video streaming platform Twitch, which it was once essentially synonymous with. Despite this downturn, Fortnite still ranks as one of the most popular games on video streaming platform Twitch, highlighting the game’s continued earning potential for streamers and eSports players.
Meet me in the metaverse?
Apart being a major player influencing the rise of the battle royale genre, Fortnite is still staying relevant by branching out towards a new trend in video gaming: the metaverse. Fortnite has hosted many high-profile concerts on its in-game party royale island with mainstream artists such as Travis Scott, Ariana Grande drawing millions of in-game viewers. Apart from its musical experiences, Fortnite also enables gamers to participate in massive, narrative in-game events during the launch or end of a Fortnite season. The seemingly never-ending flow of media cross-overs and celebrity features makes users feel that Fortnite is the online platform where everything is possible - and isn't that what the metaverse is about?Epic Games Store upsetting the industry standard
The Epic Games Store (EGS) was launched in December 2018. It is a direct competitor to Valve’s Steam store and GOG.com, which is operated by CD Projekt.In 2022, PC gamers spent approximately 820 million U.S. dollars on gaming content in the Epic Games Store. The EGS also regularly offer free games to users – last year, users claimed 765 million free games worth 2.24 billion U.S. dollars from the digital platform.
One of the biggest headlines regarding the launch of Epic’s own digital storefront was the company’s approach to developer / store revenue split. Gaming stores and app platforms including Valve’s Steam, the Apple App Store, or Google Play, usually take a 30 percent commission cut from game sales and in-game revenues. The Epic Games Store was released with the announcement that the EGS would only claim 12 percent of revenue, leaving 88 percent to the developers. This approach, as well as Epic’s attempt to circumvent Apple’s monetization strategies in the iOS app of Fortnite, has made many headlines, led to Apple removing the app from its App Store, and resulted in the still ongoing lawsuit Epic vs. Apple. Currently, the Fortnite gaming app is not available on the Apple App Store or on Google Play. However, players can install the game via direct download from the Epic Games website, the Samsung Galaxy Store or cloud gaming providers.
