Is Fortnite finished? Slowing revenue growth suggests it could be game over

It is a question that millions of parents want answered: will the wildly popular online survival battle game Fortnite soon lose its grip on the attention of their school-age children?

Much of the video game industry is also wondering whether the Fortnite balloon has popped, or is simply leaking air, after the first disappointing revenue data since the game’s release last year. Experts say its publisher, Epic Games, needs to put these doubts to rest if it is to succeed in its expansion plans.

Fortnite’s popularity took off last year after the release of a free “battle royale” version that lets up to 100 players vie to be the last character standing on ever-shrinking terrain. Dropped onto the battlefield with nothing, players have to scrounge for weapons as the fight for survival begins.

Although the game is free, Epic Games had been successful in getting players to pay for goodies, which is its main revenue stream. As of July the game had brought in more than a US$1 billion in revenue. But that data also gave analysts cause for concern that the Fortnite juggernaut may have tripped: revenue edged only two per cent higher in July from the previous month.

It was a lacklustre response to the recently launched paid “battle pass” that offered players new equipment and outfits for avatars, raising questions about how much longer Epic Games can keep players spending money on what are essentially cosmetic changes to the game.