Fortnite most profitable game in 2019 in a market dominated by mobile and free-to-play

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Despite a 25% drop in revenue compared to 2018, Fortnite remains the digital game that brought in the most money in 2019, recording 1.8 billion revenues in a market that is slowly continuing to grow.

In 2018, the famous free-to-play game Fortnite asserted its dominance with record results, generating no less than $ 2.4 billion in revenue for its publisher Epic Games. In order to maintain its enviable playing position, the most profitable of the moment, the title obviously had to renew itself to continue to attract its players. This was done last October with the launch of a Chapter 2 which caused a stir due to an intentional cut in all services and which captivated more than 1.7 million people.

Number one despite 25% decline

This abrupt change, however, occurred too late to upset the popularity of the game in 2019, not allowing to surpass or even match the result achieved in 2018. Revenues for 2019 thus amounted to $ 1.8 billion, according to the SuperData research firm, which represents a decrease of 25%. Fortnite nevertheless remains at the top of the most profitable games, ahead Dungeon Fighter Online (Nexon) and Honor of kings (Tencent), both at 1.6 billion in revenue. Come next League of Legends (Riot Games) and Candy Crush Saga (King Digital), at 1.5 billion, then Pokemon Go (Niantic) and Crossfire (SmileGate), at 1.4 billion.

Dominant free-to-play games

The SuperData study also shows that of the total sums spent on digital games in 2019, it is free-to-play titles that generate the most revenue (thanks to the integrated purchases they offer), monopolizing four fifths of the market. A performance made possible by the high popularity of mobile games alone responsible for 74% of revenues. On the sidelines, traditional so-called "Premium" games bring in much less than their free-to-play counterparts: $ 18.9 billion in total, on a digital games market of $ 109.4 billion in 2019.

Number one in the 2019 ranking, Fifa 19, thus reported a good billion less (786 million) than Fortnite, for example. Just behind, Call of duty brought in 645 million and Grand Theft Auto V $ 595 million. Traditional publishers are not mistaken, now declining their biggest licenses in free-to-play and on mobiles. In 2019, Nintendo released its Mario Kart Tour for iOS and Android, while Activision went for it Call of Duty Mobile.

In this context, even if we expect in 2020 big AAA games such as Cyberpunk 2077, The Last of Us Part II or Animal Crossing: New Horizons, and that next-generation consoles are expected to emerge by next Christmas, SuperData analysts are predicting no more than $ 19.8 billion in premium game revenue over the year. Nothing to worry about Fortnite, which therefore continues to fight against other free-to-play games that would like to steal its crown.

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