In 2022, the multi-platform free-to-play (F2P) gaming title Fortnite generated an estimated 4.4 billion U.S. dollars in annual revenues. This figure decreased from the previous year when the battle royale title made about 4.8 billion U.S. dollars in revenues.

In 2024, video game publisher and software developer Epic Games is projected to generate approximately 5.8 billion U.S. dollars in gross revenues, up from 5.1 billion U.S. dollars in 2020.

How does Epic Games make money? Epic Games' gross does not only include game revenue from the company battle royale hit Fortnite, but also engine revenue derived from game licenses and royalties, as well as Unreal Engine assets. Epic is the developer of the gaming engine Unreal Engine, which is currently monetized under a royalty model, meaning that is can be downloaded for free and Epic claims a percentage of sales revenue. Currently, Epic is not claiming a fee for developers that publish their games on the Epic Games Store. The Epic Games Store (EGS) was launched in December 2018. In May 2020, Epic announced that their share of royalties for games developed in Unreal Engine are waived until developers have earned their first 1 million U.S. dollars in revenue. Other income streams of the company include Epic Games Store revenue, and Merchandise and other revenue. Epic Games Store upsetting the industry standard One of the biggest headlines regarding the launch of Epic’s own digital storefront was the company’s attitude 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.

Since its release in 2017, Fortnite has become one of the most popular games in the world. The battle royale game, in which up to 100 players fight it out at one time until one player is left standing, generated revenue of 3.7 billion U.S. dollars in 2019, down from 5.4 billion U.S. dollars in 2018.

In 2024, video game publisher and software developer Epic Games is projected to generate approximately 907 million U.S. dollars in gross income, down from 1.83 billion U.S. dollars in 2019. In the most recently ended year, the company's gross revenue was estimated to be5.6 billion U.S. dollars.

In 2019, video game publisher and software developer Epic Games generated approximately 4.2 billion U.S. dollars in gross revenues, the majority of which was generated through its game revenue segment. Almost all of the segment's revenue was generated via Fortnite, with smaller titles Rocket League and Battle Breakers only netting a fraction of the total. Epic Games also publishes the Unreal Engine, a tool for developing games, as well as the Epic Games Store.

This statistic shows the revenue of Fortnite mobile from Apple App Store worldwide in 2018. According to the data, Fortnite mobile grossed *** million U.S dollars on iOS in 2018, averaging *** million U.S. dollars per day.

In 2023, video game publisher and software developer Epic Games is estimated to generate approximately 1.5 billion U.S. dollars in losses before interest and taxes with the company's gross income declining while cost of sales goes up.

The Metaverse market is experiencing explosive growth, projected to reach a substantial size exceeding $116.74 million by 2025 and exhibiting a remarkable Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 41.83%. This burgeoning sector is driven by several key factors. Firstly, advancements in Augmented Reality (AR) and Virtual Reality (VR) hardware are creating increasingly immersive and engaging experiences. Secondly, the integration of social media, particularly through targeted advertising within metaverse platforms, is fueling user engagement and market expansion. The rise of virtual live entertainment, exemplified by successful platforms like Epic Games and Roblox, is further attracting significant user bases and driving revenue generation. Finally, the expansion of gaming services, offering diverse and interactive experiences within metaverse environments, constitutes a major growth catalyst. The market is segmented across diverse end-user industries, including gaming, media & entertainment, commercial applications (virtual offices, training simulations), retail (virtual showrooms, immersive shopping), and others. Major players like Fortnite, EA Sports, AWS, Qualcomm, Oculus, Vive, Epic Games, Roblox, Facebook (Meta), Unity, Steam, and Itch.io are actively shaping this dynamic landscape, investing heavily in technological advancements and content creation to capture market share. The forecast period from 2025 to 2033 promises even more significant expansion. While precise regional market share data is unavailable, it's reasonable to expect North America and Europe to initially hold the largest shares, given their advanced technological infrastructure and strong adoption rates of related technologies. However, Asia's rapid technological development and immense population present significant growth potential, potentially surpassing other regions in the later years of the forecast period. The continued development of user-friendly interfaces, enhanced graphic capabilities, and broader accessibility will be crucial in driving further market penetration across all regions. Challenges such as addressing concerns regarding data privacy, cybersecurity, and the potential for digital addiction will require proactive solutions to ensure sustainable and responsible market development. Recent developments include: May 2024: Grand Cayman-based Web3 firm Mai Labs unveiled its metaverse platform, 'Mayaaverse', in India. During the launch event held in Delhi, the company also rolled out the Lumyn XR, a virtual reality headset crafted for deep immersion in the digital realm. Through these innovations, Mai Labs is making its mark in Artificial Intelligence, blockchain, and the metaverse., February 2024: The Royal Government of Bhutan has launched a metaverse platform named Bhutanverse. This virtual space provides a computer-generated environment, enabling global users to experience Bhutan digitally. The metaverse will showcase the country's culture, history, and philosophy, accessible from users' homes. It will feature Bhutanese motifs, art, and architecture. Additionally, a creative space has been developed to offer interactive quests, where metaverse avatars can engage in mini-games based on compelling storylines centered around Bhutan’s history and folklore.. Key drivers for this market are: Favorable trends such as convergence of games and social media platforms, Technological advancements in hardware and networking. Potential restraints include: Favorable trends such as convergence of games and social media platforms, Technological advancements in hardware and networking. Notable trends are: Gaming Segment Accounted for the Largest Market Share.

In 2024, gaming company Fortnite reported that only seven developers or creators in Fortnite’s creator ecosystem were rewarded over 10 million U.S. dollars. In comparison, approximately 12,000 Fortnite games developers or creators had earned more than 100 U.S. dollars.

In 2024, video game publisher and software developer Epic Games is estimated to incur approximately 4.49 billion U.S. dollars in cost of sales. The biggest cost factor was platform royalties, which amounted to almost 1.06 billion U.S. dollars in 2019.

Since it was first released by developer Bluehole in March 2017, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds (PUBG) has developed a loyal legion of fans. While the battle royale game only sold two million copies within the first few months of its Early Access release on Steam, this number had jumped to 50 million units just a year later in June 2018. As of December 2021, PUGB has sold over 75 million units worldwide on PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC. In January 2022, the game became free to play, meaning a purchase of the game was no longer necessary to play

One of the biggest games on Steam PUBG is an online multiplayer game which pits up to 100 players against each other at one time. The players must scavenge for weapons and items while killing enemies and trying to survive. The map shrinks over time in order to force the remaining players into combat until only one player or team is left standing. Given the scale of the game, it is unsurprising that it attracts large amounts of players – on the gaming platform Steam, PUBG peaked at almost 3.24 million concurrent players in January 2018. The game is also one of Steam’s biggest draws in terms of hourly average number of players – PUBG averaged almost 177.11 thousand players per hour in 2021. So is the game unrivalled in the battle royale genre?

PUBG’s biggest rival Not if you ask fans of Fortnite. Released by Epic Games in July 2017, just a few months after the launch of PUBG, Fortnite is a similar battle royale survival game. While it is not available on Steam, it can be played on PC as well as on all the main consoles. Similarly to PUBG, Fortnite became an overnight sensation and latest figures have the game at a staggering 350 million registered users. The mobile version of the game has also been a commercial success, generating annual revenue of 455 million U.S. dollars in the Apple App Store in 2018. Given that PUBG won the Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards 2017 and Fortnite won the very same award a year later, it seems that the rivalry between these games shows no signs of slowing down.

Major franchise titles account for over half of revenues of the PlayStation Store. The most significant gaming titles with annual releases and regular content updates accounted for 53 percent of the total PlayStation Store revenue worldwide in the fiscal year 2024 (ending March 2025). This includes live service titles such as Fortnite and Genshin Impact, which receive continuous updates. As well as games with an annual release (Call of Duty, EA Sports games), which also make money from extra content sales and events throughout the year.

First released at the start of 2017, PUBG: Battlegrounds (previously known as PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds) is one of the most popular games on Steam and had 944,484 peak concurrent players in the last recorded month, July 2025. The highest number of concurrent players was recorded in January 2018 at 3.24 million. One of the biggest games on Steam PUBG gained a devoted legion of fans in a short space of time after its release, and cumulative unit sales of the game hit 75 million in December 2021. The game has also been critically acclaimed — it won the Best Multiplayer Game at The Game Awards in 2017 and its free-to-play mobile version for Android and iOS, released in 2018, was nominated for Best Mobile Game at The 2018 Game Awards. This critical success has also translated into commercial success, as the game generated millions of U.S. dollars of revenue, most successfully in the United States. On January 12, 2022, the game has become free to play. Battle of the Battle Royale games PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds is an online battle royale game in which up to 100 hundred players battle it out until there is only one player or one team left standing. This format of game has become very popular in recent years. While PUBG has a strong following, especially on Steam, it has come under pressure from rival battle royale game Fortnite. First released just several months after PUBG, Fortnite has since become a cultural phenomenon, amassing 500 million registered users in just six years. As of 2025, both PUB and Fortnite are still going strong with their loyal audiences.

The eSports game with the greatest tournament prize pool between January and June 2025 was Dota 2, recording a cumulative prize pool valued at 6.84 million U.S. dollars. This cumulative prize pool was significantly higher than the runner-up, Counter-Strike 2, which had a cumulative prize pool of 4.9 million U.S. dollars during this period. Dota 2 Dota 2 is a multiplayer online battle arena video game (MOBA) developed by Valve Software as a follow-up to 'Defense of the Ancients,' a community-created mod for the game 'Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos.' In an effort to grow the popularity of DOTA 2 amongst ‘Defense of the Ancients’ players and to further promote the release of DOTA 2, the development company invited 16 of the world’s leading ‘Defense of the Ancients’ players to participate in a ‘DOTA 2’ tournament, an event that would eventually be held annually. It is this annual event, now referred to as ‘The International’, that offers such a substantial tournament prize pool and results in DOTA 2 consistently offering the greatest cumulative prize pool of any eSports game. eSports overview Whilst competitions have long since been a component of the video gaming industry, it wasn’t until relatively recently that eSports as a professional form of competitive video game play grew in popularity, with video game developers often organizing and funding many of the most popular eSport tournaments, which involve games such as League of Legends, Dota 2, Counter-Strike, Valorant, Overwatch, Street Fighter, Super Smash Bros., and StarCraft. These tournaments often incorporate either multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), combat, card, battle royale, and real-time strategy (RTS) games. The most prominent types of video games associated with eSport tournaments include multiplayer online battle arena (MOBA), first-person shooter (FPS), fighting, card, battle royale and real-time strategy (RTS) games.