Fortnite Revenue Down 48% Month-Over-Month, Digital Games Spending Down Year-Over-Year

Published: February 26, 2019 9:04 PM /

By:


Fortnite Battle Royale Soldier Sniper

I know what you’re thinking, and it’s not because of Apex Legends. Regardless of if you want it to be, this is not the end of Fortnite as we know it.

But yes, Fortnite’s January revenue is down nearly half from December’s. This is how you know it wasn’t Apex, as that game dropped in February. However, according to Nielsen’s SuperData Report, Epic Games’ hit is still up year-over-year. It’s also worth noting that December was a peak month for Fortnite, so the January drop isn’t as significant as it initially appears.

Otherwise, global digital game spending went down 6% in January year-over-year, with gamers spending $8.4 billion across all platforms. PC premium games saw the most significant drop at 29%. That said, console revenue dropped 3% as well. This is likely due to more players sticking with their Games-as-a-Service titles instead of buying new games, so it isn’t much to worry about.

Red Dead Redemption 2’s online mode, while still in a beta state, hasn’t performed to expectations either. Along with a drop in monthly active users, revenue from Rockstar’s latest online venture fell 14% month-over-month. Most notably, combining the sales from RDR2 and Grand Theft Auto V, the latter of which makes 5x more than RDR2, resulted in similar revenue from last January, where only GTA V’s online mode was accounted for. However, the report notes that Red Dead’s online mode is only in beta, so the comparison to GTA V’s years-old online component is a little unfair.

Smash Bros. Ultimate’s digital sales went down an estimated 83% from its release in December. This also isn’t overly surprising, as most purchases were with the Switch bundle during the holiday season. In-game spending has gone up, however, thanks to its Fighter Pass.

In other news, Counter-Strike: GO revenue dropped a fair amount year-over-year despite going free to play. The 8% increase in monthly active users has not converted to an increase in sales.

Finally, here are the Top 10 grossing titles worldwide across the three platforms for January 2019:

PC

  1. Dungeon Fighter Online
  2. League of Legends
  3. Fantasy Westward Journey Online II
  4. Crossfire
  5. Fortnite
  6. PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds
  7. World of Warcraft West
  8. World of Tanks
  9. Sims 4
  10. DOTA 2

Console

  1. FIFA 19
  2. Fortnite
  3. Super Smash Bros. Ultimate
  4. Grand Theft Auto V
  5. Call of Duty: Black Ops IIII
  6. NBA 2K19
  7. Madden NFL 19
  8. Red Dead Redemption 2
  9. Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six: Siege
  10. FIFA 18

Mobile

  1. Honour of Kings
  2. Pokémon Go
  3. Fate/Grand Order
  4. Candy Crush Saga
  5. Clash of Clans
  6. Brawl Stars
  7. Monster Strike
  8. Puzzle & Dragons
  9. Toon Blast
  10. Clash Royale

Have a tip, or want to point out something we missed? Leave a Comment or e-mail us at tips@techraptor.net


Max Moeller
| Content Writer

Blockchain, cryptocurrency, and gaming journalist. Feels most at home with a controller and something to learn about. Likes emerging things.

More Info About This Game
Learn more about Fortnite
Game Page Fortnite
Developer
Epic Games
Publisher
Epic Games
Purchase (Some links may be affiliated)