If you haven’t played Fortnite then you’re really missing out. The game’s become a sensation, spawning memes, copycat games and becoming a household name in even non-gaming households.
And of course, taking the world by storm means you’re definitely going to be raking in the cash.
According to SuperData Research, an industy analysis firm, Fortnite has racked up more than $1 billion since its release last year.
$1 billion!
This is where it’s important to note that the game is actually free to download and play, meaning the money’s come solely from – you guessed it – microtransactions.
Now although this might spell good news for Fortnite‘s developer Epic Games, it’s uncertain what impact the huge revenue might have on the gaming industry as a whole.
Microtransactions are already a sore point for gamers, as being able to purchase upgrades, weapons and more using real-life money is incredibly controversial.
Lots of gamers flat-out refuse to play games where microtransactions are the only way for you to progress, or if they add an upgrade that gives players an ‘unfair’ tactical advantage over others.
Others are against the notion of paying for a base game and then having to fork out for guns, gadgets and power-ups on top of the initial cost.
Games companies are recognising that microtransactions might not be the way forward for all games, and lots of games that do include microtransactions are now making it clear they’re for things like cosmetic upgrades only, offering no tactical advantages to those who are willing to part with extra money.
But with Fortnite pulling such a huge revenue from in-game transactions alone, we’re wondering whether triple-A gaming studios are going to take note and keep including them more and more.
Congratulations Epic Games – let’s hope it doesn’t make gaming more expensive for us in the future…
