Epic Games, the creator of the incredibly popular Fortnite game, has reportedly made $3 billion in profits in 2018. This number comes from unnamed sources who spoke to TechCrunch. Epic Games itself did not respond to a request for comment from TechCrunch.
Epic Games had a good year in 2018 as any company in tech. Fortnite became the world’s most popular game, growing the company’s valuation to $15 billion, but it has helped the company pile up cash, too. Epic grossed a $3 billion profit for this year fueled by the continued success of Fortnite, a source with knowledge of the business told Tech Crunch.
Personally, I’m always a bit skeptical of information that comes from anonymous or unnamed sources. However, in this specific case, I think there is good reason to believe that Epic Games made a lot of money in 2018 from Fortnite. While I haven’t played the game myself, I do find it entertaining to watch people stream it.
Forbes reported that Fortnite is free-to-play. Players can choose to purchase a seasonal Battle Pass which allows players to unlock epic loot. In addition, players can spend real world money on cosmetic items. But, no one has to spend money if they don’t want to or cannot afford to.
There is another thing about Fortnite that I believe is increasing its popularity. As Anoop Ranganath posted in an informative thread on Twitter: “Fortnite isn’t a game, it’s a place.” Kids are using Fortnite as a place to hang out and talk with their friends, much like people of my generation used to hang out in shopping malls.