Battle royale games will generate more than $20 billion in revenue in 2019

According to research firm Superdata, all games that include a battle royale mode will collectively bring in $20.1 billion in revenue in 2019. Converted that is about 17.2 billion euros.

According to the research firm, games with a battle royale mode are already good for a combined turnover of 12.6 billion dollars this year. In 2019, that is expected to rise to $20.1 billion, an increase of nearly 60 percent. In 2017, the revenue of games with a battle royale genre was still at 1.7 billion dollars. The expected $12.6 billion in revenue in 2018 represents 12 percent of the combined revenue this year from all digital games. A significant part of this comes from microtransactions, as Fortnite, for example, is free to play.

The genre initially became popular on PC, especially through PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds and later especially through Fortnite. In the meantime, consoles in particular, but also mobile devices are contributing: according to Superdata, smartphones and tablets will have a 29 percent share of total revenue in 2018. In May, PUBG and Fortnite jointly generated an estimated $65 million in the mobile category.

Epic Games brought in an estimated $318 million across all platforms in May with Fortnite: Battle Royale. The success of Fortnite, among others, has probably ensured that other major games will also add a battle royale mode: Battlefield V and Call of Duty: Black Ops 4 will receive a separate battle royale mode at or after their release in October.