'Fortnite' Creator Turns $3B Profit In 2018: The Stocks That Benefit

The performance of the blockbuster hit “Fortnite” in 2018 is one of the biggest stories in gaming in recent memory. “Fortnite” broke all kinds of records, and while game developer Epic Games is a private company, there were plenty of public companies that benefited from the craze.

“Fortnite” singlehandedly grossed a $3-billion profit for game developer Epic Games in 2018 and reportedly now has 200 million players. Unfortunately, Epic is a private company, but investors who want to profit from the popularity of “Fortnite” have options. 

Fortnite Investments

The most direct public “Fortnite” winner is China’s TENCENT HOLDING/ADR TCEHY, which owns a 40-percent stake in Epic.

In addition to Tencent, toy company Funko Inc. FNKO landed a deal with Epic in July to produce “Fortnite”-branded toys and collectibles. The news sent the stock surging, and Funko shares finished the year up 93 percent.

Indirect Plays

Headphone maker Turtle Beach Corp HEAR was likely the biggest public “Fortnite” winner of 2018.

The game's battle royale-style play relies heavily on positional audio, and high-quality Turtle Beach headphones can give players a major advantage. Turtle Beach’s incredible 690-percent 2018 gain is a reflection of not only “Fortnite’s” success, but of the continuing wave of popular battle royale-style games that include “PUBG,” “Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4,” and Tencent’s “Ring of Elysium.”

It seems as though 2019 will be another huge year for battle royale games, suggesting NVIDIA Corporation NVDA and its high-end gaming graphics cards could continue to be a long-term winner. Nvidia stock took a breather in 2018 after a huge run-up in recent years.

Publisher Activision Blizzard, Inc. ATVI, which added the battle royale-style “Blackout” mode to the latest installment of its “Call of Duty” franchise, will likely continue to cash in on the trend in 2019 and beyond. If the early success of “Call Of Duty: Black Ops 4” is any indication, “Fortnite” may have paved the path for Activision Blizzard to follow for years to come.

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"Fortnite" screenshot courtesy of Epic Games.