Author: Trafficblast

We knew Fortnite was making Epic Games a boatload of money, now we have an idea of how much. Across all platforms, Fortnite made over $9 billion in 2018 and 2019 combined: $5.5 billion in 2018 and $3.7 billion in 2019.

This is according to court documents that dropped today as part of the Epic vs. Apple anti-trust suit. The documents was filed in January 2020, so before there was any data for how much Fortnite would make in 2020. At the time Epic was projecting it would bring in a decreased $2.8 billion in 2020 due to market saturation, players falling off over time, and fewer players wanting to buy cosmetic upgrades.

Though we don’t have actual numbers, mobile analytics firm Sensor Tower has projected that Fortnite on iOS alone brought in about $1.2 billion in revenue before it was removed from the App Store.

[ignvideo url=”https://www.ign.com/videos/2020/08/13/fortnite-1984-apple-parody-video-short”]

In total, Epic Games as a company made over $5.6 billion in revenue in 2018 alone, and $4.2 billion in 2019. During his testimony in today’s hearing, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney confirmed that Epic Games had made $5.1 billion in 2020. This is a major surge from the company’s projections listed in the financial document of only $3.6 billion for the year, with revenue likely getting a major boost from stay-at-home orders through the COVID-19 pandemic. Sweeney also confirmed that Fortnite now has 400 million total registered users.

But while Fortnite continues to thrive, Epic Games’ other venture, the Epic Games Store, has yet to turn a profit. The same financial document notes that the Epic Games Store brought in a total of $235 million in revenue in both 2018 and 2019 combined. But with costs included Epic lost around $181 million on the store in 2019 alone, expected to lose $273 million in 2020, and expects to lose $139 million in 2021. This is due in no small part to major payouts made to game developers for PC exclusivity, as well as regular free game deals that Epic pledged to pay developers for out of its own pocket.

Sweeney confirmed during the hearing today that he did not expect the Epic Games Store to turn a profit for another three to four years at least.

The Epic v. Apple face-off in a California court began today, with both parties delivering opening remarks earlier this morning before Tim Sweeney was called to give evidence. The trial is expected to continue for three weeks before a verdict is reached.

[poilib element=”accentDivider”]

Rebekah Valentine is a news reporter for IGN. You can find her on Twitter @duckvalentine.

Apex Legends players on PS4 and PS5 can now pre-load the upcoming Legacy update on both platforms, which goes live May 4. Developer Respawn announced the move on Twitter on Monday, but several players on Twitter, Reddit, and other social media platforms have complained that the pre-load isn’t working for them.

We already know a ton about what’s coming in the Apex Legends Season 9: Legacy update. As you might expect, it introduces a new character named Valkyrie who specializes in recon and aerial attack. (She has a jetpack, which is pretty wild.) As the patch notes reveal, Legacy makes a ton of changes to the game, including nerfing the recent changes to Lifeline’s kit, while also improving her heal drone and care package abilities.

Legacy will also introduce Arenas to the game, a 3v3 round-based team deathmatch that’s very similar to Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and fellow CS-like Valorant. There’s a new weapon in Season 9 too, a marksman bow called the Bocek Bow that, similar to the G7 Scout and Triple-Take, is designed for mid-range and relies on precision hits. Since it uses arrows, players can retrieve ammo from downed foes and loot fired arrows from the ground. As usual, Legacy introduces new skins and other cosmetics to the game, including a Wraith skin that not all of us are happy about.

Minecraft shows no signs of slowing down, with Microsoft revealing in an April 2021 earnings call that the popular sandbox game’s monthly active users increased by 30% year over year. The title has reached some 140 million users to date.

This latest figure comes from a new fact sheet Microsoft published. It contains various other milestones Minecraft surpassed, including generating more than $350 million to date through selling mods, add-on content, and other experiences. Microsoft also noted that Minecraft has sold more than 238 million copies so far in just about every country and territory in the world. This includes Antarctica and Vatican City.

Other stats include players downloading 1 billion pieces of content from the Minecraft Marketplace, the average player in North America and Europe being 27 years old, and more than half of kids aged 9-11 in the same continents play the game. More telling, 90% of those online in the US are “aware of the Minecraft brand.” Also, it was the most-watched game on YouTube in 2020 with over 200 billion views.

There are some stats on the Education Edition, as well, like 35 million students and teachers using the game in 115 countries. According to Microsoft, Minecraft: Education Edition saw a 150% increase in the number of players year over year.

In other Minecraft news, the upcoming Caves & Cliffs expansion has grown in scope, with developer Mojang splitting it into two parts. Part one arrives this summer while the second part, which contains much bigger changes, is planned for the holiday.

So far, it doesn’t look like the next major game patch is coming to Fortnite this week, as they usually arrive on Tuesdays with leaks arriving on Mondays. But Fortnite fans still have an update to look forward to by way of today’s hotfix, which unvaults two fan-favorite weapons, the Infantry Rifle and Tactical Shotgun, alongside a small list of other fixes.

The Tactical Shotgun was most recently seen in Fortnite Season 5. Meanwhile, the Infantry Rifle has been in the vault since the start of Chapter 2, meaning it’s been over a year since players last got their hands on it in Battle Royale. For anyone who jumped in after Chapter 2 kicked off, this will be their introduction to one of the game’s most beloved weapons.

Alongside this lethal pair of weapons come some other boons for players scavenging in the game’s last-player-standing mode. Epic said it is once again doubling the chance to find crafting parts in floor loot. This was not nerfed since the last tweak to drop rates, meaning the likelihood of players finding crafting parts in this way continues to surge as the season goes on.

As you’re crafting, you may also notice Mechanical Parts drop at a 50% higher rate from vehicles. While fishing or searching Bunker Chests or Supply Drops, you’ll now also enjoy better drop rates for loot, with Epic explaining that these improved drop rates will favor Classic weapons. Players who like the accuracy of the traditional Forty firearms may want to bring a fishing pole deeper into their rounds of Battle Royale going forward.

Fortnite Hotfix Notes

Here are all the changes Epic laid out in a tweet alongside the hotfix:

• Two favorites return! Unvaulted the Tactical Shotgun and Infantry Rifle
• Doubling chance of Crafting Parts in floor loot (again!)
• Mech Parts dropped from cars increased 50%
• Improved loot chances for fish spots, Supply Drops, and Bunker Chests – favoring Classic weapons

With an update heavily focused on the Mechanical side of Fortnite, don’t forget you can still craft the less accurate but more powerful Primal weapons using our Fortnite crafting guide. The Week 8 challenges will be live on Thursday, May 6. Check out the full list so you can plan ahead.

Watch Dogs: Legion’s first major update drops May 4, and it brings some new content to the game. For Season Pass owners, the patch will introduce a new playable hero character named Mina Sidhu, a former test subject who uses the powers of mind control to manipulate her enemies. Season Pass owners can also play a new DedSec Stories mission that focuses on a minister who is selling London’s antiquities to the highest bidder.

For those who don’t own the Season Pass, there’s still plenty of free content to enjoy, including two new operatives and enhanced operative customization. The online mode also has added three new co-op missions, five new solo assignments, and two co-op gadgets, including offense and defensive drones. Check out the trailer below for more details.

As part of the rollout for this new update, Ubisoft has detailed some of its plans for further Legion updates. Free players will receive access to two new PvP modes at the end of May: Extraction and Invasion. Season Pass owners will get a new storyline in late June titled Bloodline, which introduces Aiden Pearce back into the world of Watch Dogs, as well as Wrench from Watch Dogs 2. Darcy from Assassin’s Creed will also make an appearance in August as part of a crossover update featuring new missions and an Assassin’s Creed-themed world event.

It’s a new week, and that means Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War is getting new playlists, store bundles, and more. Perhaps the most notable new addition this week is a brand-new tactical rifle that certainly looks unique. Activision ran through all the new new content, some of which is also available in Warzone, in a blog post, and we’re highlighting the key points here.

New Weapon: CARV.2

The CARV.2 Tactical Rifle is coming to Black Ops Cold War and Warzone this week. To unlock it, you’ll need to complete a new in-game challenge, though Activision did not provide any information on what that will entail. Alternatively, players can buy it outright through the “Plastik Prototype” DLC bundle.

“This burst-fire weapon stands out in the tactical rifle class with its high bullet velocity output, offering powerful damage, solid recoil control, and a large ammo pool from the start,” Activision said in its description.

New Playlist

A new playlist called Yamantau + Diesel 24/7 arrives this week. As its name suggests, this playlist lets you play the new Season 3 maps to your heart’s content. The playlists supports Team Deathmatch, Domination, Kill Confirmed, and Hardpoint.

The Gunfight Blueprints playlist also comes back as Black Ops Cold War’s “featured” playlist this week.

Finally, Activision teased that a new version of the Party Games playlist is “coming soon.” Whether or not it will release this week is unknown, but we do know it will feature Sticks and Stones, Gun Game, and Prop Hunt. The Yamantau and Diesel maps will be added.

New Store Bundles

Players looking to spend some cash this week have a pair of new bundles to choose from, starting with the Alien Infestation Mastercraft bundle. It comes with the Incubator tactical rifle and the Sterilizer SMG. The bundle also features the Infected Ship charm, the Exploratory vehicle skin, the Hive animated calling card, the Lifecycle animated emblem, and the Life Reading watch.

Another new bundle is the previously mentioned Plastik Prototype, which includes the new Konsole version of the CARV.2, as well as the Lazer Gun emblem, the Launch Control sticker, and the Brick cell phone charm.

Other new bundles include the Gilded Age IV, which comes with six items in total, including the Counter Offer assault rifle and the Subtle Threat SMG, and the Angels and Demons Anime Reactive bundle. This one features the Cursed Angel assault rifle and the Divine Blossom sniper rifle blueprint, as well as a themed calling card, emblem, and charm.

Finally, the previously announced new Call of Duty Endowment charity bundle is going on sale to mark Military Appreciation Month in May. Proceeds from the DLC bundle, which features a new skin based on a real-life military veteran, will go toward helping place veterans in jobs.

In other news, Raven Software has acknowledged new map exploits on Verdansk ’84 and is working to fix them now.