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Fortnite Is Winning the DeathMatch Against PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds

Its gamers spend far more than PUBG fans on mobile versions
Fortnite dominates the U.S. market but PUBG’s winning in Japan

The Epic Games Inc. Fortnite: Battle Royale video game is displayed for a photograph on an Apple Inc. iPhone in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Thursday, May 10, 2018. Fortnite, the hit game that's denting the stock prices of video-game makers after signing up 45 million players, didn't really take off until it became free and a free-for-all.Photographer: Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg

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By Lulu Yilun Chen

July 4, 2018 at 12:10 AM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

The deathmatch between the world’s two biggest Battle Royale titles is intensifying. But on at least one important measure, Fortnite’s leaving compatriot PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds in the dust.

Fans of Epic Games’s mobile version of Fortnite spend far more than their peers on PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds, according to data from consultancy SensorTower that excludes the mostly closed market of China. Fortnite reeled in almost $92 million of gross revenue in the 11 weeks to the week of June 18, more than five times that of PUBG Corp.’s rival hit. That’s despite there having been twice as many downloads of PUBG Mobile than its rival, which is only available in the Apple App Store.