Big spenders: Fortnite rakes in $5.1bn from gamer purchases
Fortnite has been revealed as the most profitable mobile gaming app as its owners continue a bitter legal dispute with Apple.
The world’s most popular online game raked in $5.1bn this year from some 300m users who spent an average of $17 each according to new research by KLOC digital solutions. Pokémon trailed in second place taking in $1.2bn from some 166m players while Candy Crush took home $1.19m, an average of $4 each from its 273m users.
A spokesperson for KLOC said: “Gaming apps have always been wildly popular among users of all ages, and we’ve always taken them for granted as cheap – if not free – features of our phones.
“The unbiased list of gaming apps being studied, highlights the profitability apps have in the marketplace as long as the platform remains relevant to its users,” the commentator added.
Fortnite’s runaway success comes as its owner Epic Games remains embroiled with a legal dispute with Apple over app store payment rules. Fortnite was kicked off the app store for directed users to its own website to make purchases, effectively cutting out Apple which takes 15 to 30 per cent from all in-app purchases.
Epic Games has accused Apple of using its market dominance to create a monopoly, a claim which the tech giant denies, and has launched lawsuits in courts across the world in order to get Fortnite reinstated on the app store.
In a September ruling, US district Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers called for the iPhone maker’s App Store rules to change and struck down the prohibition on developers directing their users to other payment options beside Apple’s in-app payment system, in a partial win for Epic.
Apple is calling for changes to its app store rules to be delayed and has raised concerns about the safety of payments infrastructure not issued by its developers. A hearing on the request will take place on November 09.
Read more: Fortnite calls on Apple to allow its developers back on app store