Epic Games Unveils Plans for In-Game-Sales for Fortnite Creator

Starting in December, Fortnite creators will also benefit from in-game sales on their islands. Epic Games has planned attractive terms, especially for the first twelve months. After that, the share for creators will fall to a level that is above that of Roblox, but still below 50%.

It's good news for all Fortnite island developers, albeit with a downside: starting in December, Fortnite creators will share in the in-game revenue generated on their islands. Epic Games has just announced this. The downside is that Epic Games is basing the amount of the payouts on the competition, in this case Roblox.

Specifically, Epic Games is offering all Fortnite creators exceptionally good terms in the first year after the feature launches. This means that until December 31, 2026, creators will receive 100% of the V-Bucks value after deduction of the respective platform or store fees. These range from 12% in the Epic Games Store to up to 30% on consoles. According to internal calculations based on past experience, creators will receive approximately 74% of the money that consumers spend on items during this period.

After the introductory year, i.e., from January 1, 2027, Epic Games will reduce the share for in-game sales to 50%, after deduction of platform or store fees. This reduces the creators' share of actual revenue to only 37%, a figure that would be unacceptable in digital game distribution. However, this is not the case on platforms where we provide Fortnite with all the tools for developing content. To illustrate this, Epic Games has drawn up a calculation using the terms published by Roblox on its “Earn of Roblox” page. Epic Games concludes that Roblox creators effectively receive only a 25% share of consumer in-experience spending.

In addition to participating in in-game sales, Epic Games has announced further measures to make Fortnite more attractive as a platform for creators. In the future, creators will receive a larger share of the revenue generated by new or returning players in the first six months after returning to the platform.

The calculation of so-called frequency payouts will also be adjusted. Retention rates for individual islands will be included in the calculation of how the money pool is divided. Players who did not spend any money will no longer be taken into account when determining factors such as playing time.

Last but not least, Epic Games is discovering the creators themselves as a source of revenue for creator payouts. Starting in November, creators will be able to promote their islands in a Sponsored Row to improve visibility. Here, too, Epic Games wants to earn a share of the profits, at least in the long term. Until the end of 2026, 100% of the money creators spend on this type of marketing will flow into the engagement payout pool. However, from January 1, 2027, this share will be reduced to 50%.

Here, too, Epic Games draws a comparison with Roblox, where revenue from sponsored experience ads is not shared with the creator community at all.

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