Fortnite might not seem as popular as it once was, but that isn’t saying much for a game that still draws in over 650 million players a year. According to one report that has gathered, and updated, statistics from a number of sources, the nearly eight-year-old online multiplayer game had over 650 million registered players in 2024. Fortnite’s most common revenue stream has typically come from its downloadable content which was last expected to hit a record of over $5.8 billion last year and is projected to exceed $6 billion by 2026. It should be noted that even as many gamers express frustration over the rising cost of games, including Nintendo recently announcing titles for its upcoming Switch 2 having price tags of $80 or higher, Fortnite players were shelling out an average of $102 in 2020. Meanwhile, one of the staples of the popular game is slowly taking a backseat to another of its features.
Fortnite’s battle royale events are legendary and at times have received worldwide media coverage. The report indicates that at one point nearly half of all gamers surveyed played battle royale games and 36% spent upwards of 5 hours a week doing so. However, while battle royale is still the most popular draw of the game it appears that in recent years its creative mode is taking the forefront. This shift in player and creator engagement is happening as Epic Games continues to adjust to failed expectations regarding the Metaverse.
At one point, it appeared that throwing money into the Metaverse was a sure bet with Sony investing over a billion and Epic funneling its own profits from Fortnite into it but things did not pan out as hoped. Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney announced in 2023 that nearly 900 employees would be laid off due to failing revenue streams and the company was restructuring. Shortly after that, Charlie Wen (Riot Games, credited as creating GoW’s Kratos and having worked on Marvel’s The Avengers and Thor movies) was brought on as Epic’s Chief Creative Officer. Since then it’s been said that Fortnite’s creative mode has continued to grow and although Epic receives a smaller revenue there it still represents a positive change that continues to support the game.
Meanwhile, events continue to lure more players with pop-icons. Yesterday it was announced that two-time GRAMMY winner Sabrina Carpenter would be joining Fortnite Festival Season 8. “Juno” and “Nonsense” are among the tracks that players can unlock with her outfits, and more available via Music Pass and the Shop. Other recent news includes two new shell maps being added in Ballistic’s first test grounds update and players having the opportunity to try out the new Scorpion outfit.