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Introducing Creator Economy 2.0
The Fortnite Team
Today at the Game Developers Conference we introduced Creator Economy 2.0, the next generation of the Fortnite economy. Creator Economy 2.0 kicks off with the early access launch of engagement payouts, a new way for eligible island creators to receive money based on engagement with their published island content.
Existing creators with published islands who sign up by April 21, 2023, at 11:59 PM HST will be paid retroactively for engagement starting March 1, 2023.
In other words: Epic builds and sells Fortnite cosmetics, often working with third-party IP owners to bring their work into Fortnite. Starting March 1, 2023, Epic began reserving 40% of that revenue to distribute it based on the engagement created by eligible island publishers’ creative work, both yours and Epic’s. In this way, Epic will further reward creators for their creative work in Fortnite.
Epic’s existing Support-A-Creator program that underpinned Creator Economy 1.0 remains, but is returning to its roots as an affiliate marketing program for streamers and social media content creators. We've removed the Support-A-Creator device within Fortnite islands to keep gameplay focused on fun. Players can now show support for their favorite creators’ islands simply by playing them.
This is also the link you can use to promote your creations on social media and bring new players to your islands. We designed the new Creator Portal with tools for you to connect with your community, share information about yourself or your experiences, and grow your brand.
In the future, please stay tuned as we continue upgrading the Creator Economy with new programs to help island publishers succeed.
For more on the rest of our announcements at GDC, including new creator tools like Unreal Editor for Fortnite, Verse, and more, please visit our GDC show recap.
Existing creators with published islands who sign up by April 21, 2023, at 11:59 PM HST will be paid retroactively for engagement starting March 1, 2023.
What are Engagement Payouts?
Epic places 40% of the net revenue from Fortnite’s Item Shop and related real-money purchases into the engagement pool. Engagement payouts will be made monthly from this pool to the publishers of all eligible islands, including independent creators' islands, and Epic's own islands like Battle Royale. The payouts are based on player engagement with each island as described below.In other words: Epic builds and sells Fortnite cosmetics, often working with third-party IP owners to bring their work into Fortnite. Starting March 1, 2023, Epic began reserving 40% of that revenue to distribute it based on the engagement created by eligible island publishers’ creative work, both yours and Epic’s. In this way, Epic will further reward creators for their creative work in Fortnite.
Epic’s existing Support-A-Creator program that underpinned Creator Economy 1.0 remains, but is returning to its roots as an affiliate marketing program for streamers and social media content creators. We've removed the Support-A-Creator device within Fortnite islands to keep gameplay focused on fun. Players can now show support for their favorite creators’ islands simply by playing them.
How are Engagement Payouts Attributed?
Engagement payouts reward creation of islands that players enjoy. Today, payouts are based on engagement metrics that contribute to the health of the overall Fortnite ecosystem. At launch, the metrics fall into two groups:- Player Popularity: Islands that attract new players and re-engage lapsed players signal an experience that Fortnite players love, so the number of players newly joining Fortnite, and lapsed players returning to Fortnite contribute to this calculation.
- Player Retention: Islands where players return day-to-day and week-to-week indicate compelling gameplay, so consistent play and returning players contribute to this calculation.
Who is Eligible?
Engagement payouts are available to legal entities like companies, and for island creators 18 years of age or older, whose Fortnite accounts are at least 90 days old. We’re working to expand the program to younger creators in the future and will share updates as they become available. When you’re accepted into the program, you’ll see new engagement revenue data on the Payout tab of your creator dashboard where you track your earnings. We’ll continue to update the creator dashboard with more insights and data to help island creators plan future development.Your Presence in Fortnite and the New Fortnite Creator Portal
Every island publisher will have a dedicated web presence at Fortnite.com/@<CreatorCode> that can be customized to represent your brand and experiences within the Fortnite ecosystem. Islands can be added to a playlist by logged-in players to be easily found next time they’re in-game.This is also the link you can use to promote your creations on social media and bring new players to your islands. We designed the new Creator Portal with tools for you to connect with your community, share information about yourself or your experiences, and grow your brand.
How We Calculate the Engagement Payout Pool
The 40% of Fortnite net revenue set aside for distribution through engagement payouts each month will fluctuate depending on Fortnite’s overall monthly revenue earned from:| Real Money Spent on Fortnite |
| Purchase of V-Bucks |
| Real money transactions (Starter Packs, Quest Packs, cosmetics) |
| Fortnite Crew subscriptions |
In the future, please stay tuned as we continue upgrading the Creator Economy with new programs to help island publishers succeed.
How Do I Apply?
To learn more and to apply for the program, please visit the Island Creator Program sign up page.For more on the rest of our announcements at GDC, including new creator tools like Unreal Editor for Fortnite, Verse, and more, please visit our GDC show recap.