Fortnite growth slows in May as Pokemon Go makes comeback
Superdata's monthly digital games market report finds worldwide spending up 25% year-over-year to $9.1 billion thanks largely to mobile growth
The Fortnite phenomenon may be cooling off a bit. Superdata today released its worldwide digital game spending report for May, estimating that Epic Games' survival shooter broke $300 million in monthly revenue for the first time, but was only up single-digit percentages month-over-month.
Superdata put Fortnite's revenues for May at $318 million, up 7% from April. Going by the firm's figures, Fortnite revenues had been up 33% month-over-month in April, and up 73% in March. The game's growth in May was powered primarily by the console version, as mobile and PC revenues were essentially flat month-over-month.
Other games with notable performances during May included Pokemon Go, which Superdata said reached its highest active player base since 2016. More players meant more money, as the game brought in an estimated $104 million for the month, up 174% year-over-year.
On the console front, Superdata said Detroit: Become Human did well for a console-exclusive new IP, drawing 291,000 digital sales for its launch month, while the introduction of cosmetic-only microtransactions for Star Wars Battlefront II did little to bolster the game's revenues.
Overall, Superdata believes worldwide digital spending on games for May totaled $9.1 billion, up 25% year-over-year. The mobile market enjoyed a particularly strong month, up 36% from its total last May.