Fortnite Drives Unbelievable Player Spending, Study Shows

Fortnite is a free-to-play Battle Royale game that has taken the industry by storm. Having blown right past the previous crown holder, PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, record, the increasingly accessible online game continues to pave the way for future battle royale games. Now that the game is also available on the Nintendo Switch in addition to the other major platforms, including mobile, that popularity will only continue to rise.

The wildly successful title from Epic Games has a very loyal fan-base but some may be surprised to see how much money is actually tanked into the game, especially since it’s free-to-play. According to financial report earlier this year from Sensor Tower, players spend more on games like this than they do on paid titles – even with a Season Pass!

• 68.8% of Fortnite players have spent money on in-game purchases
• Amongst Fortnite spenders, the average amount of money they spent was $84.67

Considering most titles hit retail shelves at $60 and season passes are usually anywhere between $24 – $45, it’s interesting to see the comparison between the two. With a rotating daily cosmetic shop that is constantly adding new items for players to trick out their toons with, it’s easy to see where that money goes. Though in-game buffs can’t be purchased, Epic Games wants nothing to do with the pay-to-win model, the fun skins and weapons make for an infinitely more personalized battleground.

Some other interesting tid-bits from the Sensor Tower report include:

• For 36.78% of Fortnite spenders, this game is the first time they have made in-game purchases
• 25.3% of Fortnite players pay for Twitch, a streaming service that enables them to watch other people play Fortnite​

With the full survey results below:

1. Have you ever spent money on in-game purchases for Fortnite?

• 68.8% said yes.

2. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) In your estimation, how much money have you spent on in-game purchases for Fortnite?

• 68.8% of Fortnite players have spent money on in-game purchases
• Amongst Fortnite spenders, the average amount of money they spent was $84.67

3. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) How much of your total spending in Fortnite goes towards outfits or characters?

• 58.9% ($49.87) of Fortnite spending goes towards outfits or characters.

4. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) How much of your total spending in Fortnite goes towards gliders?

• 18.06% ($15.29) of Fortnite spending goes towards gliders.

5. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) How much of your total spending in Fortnite goes towards harvesting tools?​

• 13.52% ($11.45) of Fortnite spending goes towards harvesting tools.

6. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) How much of your total spending in Fortnite goes towards emotes (dance moves)?

• 9.52% ($8.06) of Fortnite spending goes towards emotes (dance moves).

7. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) Have you purchased a $10 Battle Pass in Fortnite?​

• 79.51% of respondents answered “Yes”

8. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) Have you purchased a $25 Battle Pass in Fortnite?

• 45.64% of respondents answered “Yes”

9. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) Are you aware that in-game Fortnite purchases do not give you an advantage on other players?

• 80.09%t of respondents answered “Yes”

10. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q1) Did you ever pay for in-game purchases before you started playing Fortnite?

• 59.88% of respondents answered “Yes, I have always done this.”

11. Do you pay for a Twitch account to watch other people (ex. Ninja) play Fortnite?

• 25.3% of respondents answered “Yes”

12. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q11) How much money do you pay per month as part of your Twitch subscription?

• 41.11% of respondents answered “$4.99”

13. Are you currently attending school at the high school or college level?

• 33.6% of respondents answered “Yes”

14. (Asked only to those who answered “A” to Q13) Have you ever missed school time to play Fortnite instead?

• 14.58% of respondents answered “Yes, a lot.”

15. (Asked only to those who answered “C” to Q13) Have you ever missed work to play Fortniteinstead?

• 5.73% of respondents answered “Yes, a lot.”

16. In your best estimation, how many hours per week do you spend playing Fortnite?

• 7.7% of respondents answered “21 hours or more”

17. What do you mainly play Fortnite on?

• 35.2 percent of respondents answered “Xbox One”
• 42.2 percent of respondents answered “PlayStation 4”
• 13.9 percent of respondents answered “Computer”
• 8.7 percent of respondents answered “Mobile phone”

18. Have you stopped playing other games because you are only focused on Fortnite?

• 27.3% of respondents answered “Yes, Fortnite is the only game I play.”

H/T Lendedu