Fortnite Mobile for iOS has made $15 million over its first three weeks on the App Store, representing further proof of the game's immense popularity.
Fortnite by Epic Games appears to have already surpassed PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds in the Battle Royale genre. Why is Fortnite so popular?
'Fortnite Mobile' Dominates The App Store
According to mobile analytics company Sensor Tower, in-app purchases in the iOS version of Fortnite has reached $15 million in just 20 days since it started monetizing on March 15. Sensor Tower added that Fortnite Mobile has been downloaded and installed on iPhones and iPads 11 million times over that period.
In terms of weekly revenue, Fortnite Mobile is actually already out-earning all other iOS apps, including Candy Crush Saga, Clash of Clans, and Pokémon GO. Fortnite Mobile raked in $6.4 million in the last seven days in the United States, while Candy Crush Saga earned $5.8 million.
One notable aspect of Fortnite Mobile is that the game's in-app purchases are only for cosmetic items, such as costumes and animations. The game is selling all these in-app purchases despite not helping players to win, like in other mobile games.
Meanwhile, App Annie shows that not only is Fortnite Mobile the top-earning game in the App Store, it is actually the top-earning app. This means that iOS device owners are now spending more on Fortnite Mobile than on the likes of Netflix, Pandora, Tinder, and YouTube.
It should also be noted that Fortnite Mobile is currently only available on the iOS. Sensor Tower believes that once the game launches on Android, it will be earning $3 million per day.
Why Is 'Fortnite' So Popular?
In addition to its domination on the App Store, other markers of the popularity of Fortnite include how ESPN tried but failed to appeal to the game's massive player base, and the petition that girlfriends everywhere have started because Fortnite has stolen the attention of their boyfriends.
Fortnite is a worldwide phenomenon due to several factors working together, including its free-to-play model and the growing popularity of the Battle Royale genre that was started by PlayerUnknown's Battlegrounds. Compared to PUBG though, Fortnite's world-building elements and cartoon-like graphics give it more appeal to the casual crowd.
For Fortnite Mobile, specifically, its success may be partly due to it being an exact copy of the PC, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One versions of Fortnite. This means that all the items acquired in Fortnite Mobile will carry over to the other platforms where the game is available, which makes players comfortable in making in-app purchases.
Tyler "Ninja" Blevins, a popular Fortnite streamer making $500,000 per month, attributed the popularity of Fortnite to its accessibility, and how Epic Games is "hitting every single mark perfectly" with the game's development.
