Fortnite had a lukewarm reception when it was first announced as a co-op tower defense third-person shooter. This mode is now known as Fortnite: Save the World. Save the World was initially the main game; however, that changed quickly – so quickly that many people, including Epic Games, forgot all about it. Once Epic Games released the battle royale mode for Fortnite and gained an astronomical amount of popularity, they switched all their development to that – and the rest is history!
Fortnite grew to become a sensation, not only in the gaming world but everywhere. It has skyrocketed many Twitch streamers’ views and popularity, and even celebrities started talking about and streaming the game. No one could stop it—Fortnite was everywhere. Now, in 2023, people are wondering is Fortnite is dying since it isn’t being talked about as much as it used to be.
Before answering whether Fortnite is dying, we will review a brief history and annual sales to lay out everything. By the time that is done, you will have your answer as to whether Fortnite is dying or not.
Fortnite Makes Huge Profits
It can be hard to gauge whether a game is dying or not unless we see the exact player count per day. And since Epic Games does not necessarily release that information, we can guess how popular a game is based on its estimated annual report earnings. Fortnite is a free-to-play game, so its revenue comes from cosmetic purchases such as the battle pass, skins, and emotes. There is even a subscription option that offers a skin and V-bucks every month.
The current reports are based on estimates. These numbers could be slightly higher or lower. According to Business of Data, Fortnite made $5.4B in 2018, $3.7B in 2019, $5.1B in 2020, and $5.8B in 2021. While we don’t have any numbers for 2022 yet, since the year isn’t over, Fortnite is clearly growing because 2021 was the best year it had, even years after release.
Even more impressive is that they still make a massive amount of money even though the game is no longer on the Google Play Store and App Store. While most players probably play on PC or Console, there were a lot of people who play on the go as well. Fortnite clearly is not dying if you look at the game’s revenue.
Special Events and Crossovers Keep Fortnite Alive and Thriving
Fortnite hosts multiple special events each year and has been doing a lot of crossovers lately. These crossovers typically include a new skin or character that you can play as. For instance, Fortnite has had crossovers with Marvel, DC, Borderlands, and even John Wick; It may well have the most crossover skins of any game to date.
These special events are one of Fortnite’s most significant selling points. They give players a reason to return to the game and spend money on it. Not only that, but it also gets people talking about the game again. I, for one, have jumped back into Fortnite to purchase a skin, so it works. Fortnite definitely has some of the funniest skins to buy.
Then you have once in a lifetime to see events (unless you watch it on Youtube). However, experiencing these events is indeed something. These events can vary from huge visual, musical events, like the Travis Scott Astroworld performance or Ariana Grande’s Rift Tour event. These things only happen once; if you miss something special in person, you miss something special. This usually brings in a lot of people to play at one time. They have even launched many celebrity Fortnite skins, so players will never forget these massive collaborations.
Also, because these involve celebrities, Fortnite gets a lot of publicity. There is also a chance that they will gain new fans because of it as well. For anyone who is wondering is Fortnite dying, the answer from their collaborations would seem to indicate no.
Twitch Views Indicate Fortnite is Not Dying
Fortnite is still a popular game on Twitch if we are going by views. The data presented by Statista shows that Fortnite is one of the most-watched games on Twitch. As of February 2022, it has 27.7 billion all-time views. It is only second to League of Legends, which has a whopping 48.1 billion all-time views. While this doesn’t mean many people are still playing, people are watching it. However, this many views shows that Fortnite still has people’s attention.
Fortnite releases monthly updates. Most of the time, these updates are small balance changes. But they can also be massive updates, like completely changing the map, introducing new gameplay mechanics, and releasing a new battle pass. When new content drops, Fortnite views usually skyrocket for a few days because players want to see the content. This is true for most games, but Fortnite is constantly evolving and getting regular updates.
Related Article: The Best Fortnite Alien Skins
Is Fortnite Dying In 2023?
So, is Fortnite dying? Well, that depends on what you consider “dying”. Some consider a game to be dying if it doesn’t have the numbers it used to. When a game has been out for years, players should expect a decline in players; it’s inevitable. While others say, a game is dying if the player count is very low. So why do people think Fortnite is dying? It could be because Fortnite got removed from the Google Play Store and App Store.
Epic Games was in the news not too long ago for many reasons. Epic Games have been sued by Apple and Google, two of the biggest companies in the world. This has caused some players to leave the game or, more specifically, lose access to it. But Epic Games has been gaining those players back.
You must download the game from the official site if you want to play on Android; however, iOS players still have no way to play the game on mobile. There are a few workarounds, such as playing it on Xbox Cloud Service, but it isn’t perfect.
As I said, Epic Games doesn’t reveal their player numbers, but some websites offer live estimates. If we look at PlayerCounter and other websites that examine how many players are online at a given time, we can see that Fortnite is still going strong. Fortnite averages around 2 to 3 million online players daily — these are significant numbers; 99% of games don’t come close to that number.
The Verdict – Is Fortnite Dying?
Honestly, based on the revenue, registered players, and concurrent players, Fortnite isn’t at all dying. On the contrary, Fortnite is growing at a steady pace. While it isn’t as talked about as it used to, it is still viral in gaming and pop culture. Despite Fortnite not being on both mobile stores, it still sees record-breaking numbers and revenue. It is safe to say Fortnite is going strong and is here to stay for a long time.
If you are a Fortnite fan, you may also want to check out our review of the most Kawaii skins in Fortnite. We have ranked them from cute to cutest!
