Among the big announcements Epic Games made during its State of Unreal 2023 keynote address is the company’s Creator Economy 2.0, a new way for eligible Fortnite island creators to earn money based on engagement with their published content.
Fortnite Battle Royale is free to play for anyone with the proper gaming console. Instead of people paying for the game, Epic generates revenue through the purchases of outfits, accessories and other items in its store. This week Epic announced it will be redistributing 40% of revenue to “eligible creators who publish games on Fortnite.”
Fortnite generated $5.8 billion in revenue in 2021, according to an Epic Games leaked internal board. Revenue for 2022 is not public knowledge. If revenue remains constant, Epic would offer about $2.3 billion to potential creators — and it’s expected that this revenue stream has only grown since 2021.
During the keynote, Epic demonstrated its Fortnite Unreal Editor, which is what creators will use to build custom Fortnite islands and maps. The demo showed improvements and advancements that will make it easy for publishers to create their own unique worlds. Epic will regain a good portion of this 40% piece of revenue as its own islands and maps will capture users, and payments are determined by player engagement with the islands.
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According to the company’s blog on the topic, “Epic places 40% of the net revenue from Fortnite’s Item Shop and related real money purchases into the engagement pool. Engagement payouts will be made monthly from this pool to the publishers of all eligible islands, including independent creators’ islands and Epic’s own islands like Battle Royale. The payouts are based on player engagement with each island.”
This seems to be a win-win for Epic. The program should drive a significant increase in playable maps and islands and give players a lot more game to explore. If player engagement remains on the traditional Battle Royale maps, Epic regains a huge portion of the promised revenue. Creator Economy 2.0 gives Fortnite fans the ability to monetize their creativity and work.
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