Video games giant Epic Games has announced that creators of eligible Fortnite “islands” and experiences will receive a share of revenue based on engagement with their published content.
Epic shared the news during the launch of Unreal Editor for Fortnite on Thursday (March 23). Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN) launched in Public Beta last week as a version of the company’s Unreal Editor games engine, which, it says, “can create and publish experiences directly to Fortnite”.
Epic says that its flagship game Fortnite has more than half a billion player accounts.
Under Fortnite’s new Creator Economy 2.0 program, Epic will place 40% of the net revenue from Fortnite’s Item Shop and related real-money purchases into the engagement pool.
“Engagement payouts proportionally distribute 40% of the net revenue from Fortnite’s Item Shop and most real-money Fortnite purchases to the creators of eligible islands and experiences, both islands from independent creators and Epic’s own such as Battle Royale,” explained Epic Games in its announcement.
Payouts will be made monthly from the pool to the publishers of eligible islands, including independent creators’ islands, and Epic’s own islands like Battle Royale. The share of revenue will be calculated based on player engagement with each island.
Fortnite explains that it calculates the engagement payout pool by taking into account the real money spent on Fortnite, purchase of V-Bucks, real money transactions, and Fortnite Crew subscriptions.
Epic says it has started reserving 40% of revenue since March 1 to distribute to creators based on engagement metrics such as player popularity and player retention.
“Engagement payouts proportionally distribute 40% of the net revenue from Fortnite’s Item Shop and most real-money Fortnite purchases to the creators of eligible islands and experiences, both islands from independent creators and Epic’s own such as Battle Royale.”
Epic Games
Island creators who are 18 years old or older are also eligible to receive payouts.
Additionally, Fortnite is also launching a unified marketplace called Fab, where creators can find, publish, and share digital assets for use in creating digital experiences.
This marketplace will offer creators an 88% share of revenue for sales of digital content including 3D models, materials, sound, VFX, MetaHumans, and more, says Epic.
Epic Games’ plan to share 40% of Fortnite purchase revenue with eligible ‘island’ creators could be a big opportunity for artists who plan on launching their own islands in Fortnite.
Artists and brands who have launched their own islands in Fortnite include The Kid LAROI, whose Wild Dreams island saw him debut new music earlier this year.
In 2021, Fortnite partnered with Universal Music UK’s Commercial and Creative division, O2 Globe, and Island Records UK for a virtual recreation of London’s music venue The O2 arena to host a virtual concert of British alt pop band easy life.
In 2019, Fortnite hosted a Weezer-themed island.
US broadcaster iHeartMedia, launched ‘iHeartLand’ in August 2022, featuring a special two-part performance by Grammy-nominated singer, songwriter and producer, Charlie Puth. (In press materials announcing the launch, iHeart noted that “this is an independently created experience in Fortnite and is not sponsored, endorsed or administered by Epic Games, Inc”).
Elsewhere at Epic Games, in February, the company made its latest push into music with Fortnite revealing that Epic-owned online music store and direct-to-fan platform Bandcamp would curate its ‘Radio Underground’ radio station until Wednesday, March 8, 2023 (for the rest of its Battle Royale Chapter 4 Season 1), including music from 11 independent artists.
Epic Games acquired online music store and direct-to-fan platform Bandcamp in March last year.
The acquisition of Bandcamp by Epic Games, which is backed by Sony Corp marked a deeper expansion into the music business for the company, after acquiring Harmonix, creator of the popular Rock Band and Dance Central franchises for an undisclosed sum in November 2021.
When Epic bought Harmonix, it hinted at ambitious plans in music, stating that it would collaborate closely with Harmonix “to develop musical journeys and gameplay for Fortnite” and that Harmonix will continue to support existing titles including Rock Band 4.
Fortnite has also served as a well-attended virtual performance and video premiere space for a number of major stars, while its Unreal Engine is used as the foundation for 3D music videos created by Sony Music‘s Immersive Music Studios.Music Business Worldwide
