The Covid-19 crisis did not alter the iron health of the American studio Epic Games, the parent company of the game Fortnite phenomenon. According to information from media Bloomberg, the company founded in 1991 is about to raise $ 750 million, with a total valuation of $ 17 billion. More than twice the French Ubisoft.
During containment, the flagship HouseParty remote app, which Epic Games purchased in 2019, won over tens of millions of people trapped in their homes. But its value comes mainly from the worldwide success of its Fortnite shooter. Less than three years after its launch, it has more than 350 million followers. Together, they spent 3.2 billion hours on the platform in April alone.
A future metaverse?
During this period, Fortnite knew how to multiply extraordinary events, which went beyond the experience of simple video games. Thus, a virtual concert by rapper Travis Scott brought together more than 12 million players simultaneously, and director Christopher Nolan recently chose to unveil the trailer for his next film Tenet inside the game. Tim Sweeney, CEO of Epic Games, has always shown itself to be very interested in metavers, these entirely virtual collective universes.
Fortnite has also established partnerships with certain associations, such as the Enfant Bleu. For a month, its volunteers took over the platform in the guise of a winged hero of turquoise color, with whom more than 350 children or adolescents, mistreated or suffering, could discreetly confide. “ Young people do not use the same media as adults. We must adapt and find new ways to get in touch with them, ”explained the president of the association to AFP.
Scheduled for June 17, the launch of season 3 of chapter 2 of Fortnite is particularly expected. Something to delight its creators and indirectly, the Chinese giant Tencent. Indeed, the company behind the WeChat application has been able to detect the potential of Epic Games since 2012. Since then, it has held 40% of the studio's shares.