How does Fortnite make money? Explained

Despite being free-to-play, Fortnite is one of the most profitable Battle Royale games in the world. Every year, it brings in over a billion dollars in revenue.

In its first two years, the game made over $9 biliion. This was revealed during Epic Games' court battle with Apple, and it's fair to say that almost no one expected the amount to be that huge.

However, an analysis of the game's business model will help Loopers understand how the game makes so much money.

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Different ways Fortnite makes money

Epic Games introduced a unique currency called V-Bucks that helps players buy cosmetic items and the Battle Pass.

There are different offers available for buying V-Bucks at the in-game shop:

• 1,000 V-Bucks - $7.99
• 2,800 V-Bucks- $19.99
• 5,000 V-Bucks- $31.99
• 13,000 V-Bucks- $79.99

The price of skins and other items is usually based on their significance and rarity. Emotes, glider skins, and pickaxe skins do not cost more than 500-800 V-Bucks.

On the flip side, Legendary Outfits cost 2000 V-Bucks, Epic outfits cost 1500 V-Bucks, Rare outfits cost 1200 V-Bucks, and Uncommon skins cost 800 V-Bucks.

Even though none of the skins provide any competitive advantage, the community spends heavily on them. As per a report by whatisthebusinessmodelof.com, over 70% of the players spend on dances and skins.

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Battle Pass

The Battle Pass costs 950 V-Bucks, and players can even buy additional levels for 150 V-Bucks each. The Battle Pass is a one-time investment if completed in its entirety. The rewards grant enough V-Bucks to buy the Battle Pass for the following season.

Moreover, it is commonplace among content creators and streamers to buy the entire Battle Pass at once as they need quick access all the skins in order to be able to show them to their audience.

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Crew Pack

Fortnite recently introduced the Crew Pack. It is a monthly subscription service that grants 1000 V-Bucks, an exclusive cosmetic item bundle and the Battle Pass for the respective season for $11.99. It is no surprise that a ton of players buy the Crew Pack every month.

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Collaborations

Last but not least, Epic Games has collaborated with countless movie, game, and TV series franchises so far. Just to name a few, these include Star Wars, Marvel, DC, Halo, Stranger Things, Uncharted, Spider-Man, and Naruto.

Crossover skins cost more than the original outfits, and often end up breaking sales records. Fortnite's immense popularity is used by other franchises for promotional purposes, and even that helps Epic Games in making a fortune.

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Competitive

Competitive Fortnite tournaments like the FNCS (Fortnite Champion Series) have a million dollar prize pool primarily because the game makes a lot from streaming platforms such as YouTube and Twitch.

FNCS tournaments are watched live by millions of viewers, which brings in a lot of revenue for Epic Games.

It is clearly evident that Fortnite is highly profitable for the developers in a variety of ways. Considering that Chapter 3 Season 1 has been a massive success and collaborations have been getting bigger and better, it won't be a surprise if the game's revenue far surpasses existing records in the coming months.