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Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by chc4 on Thursday December 27, 2018 @01:44PM (#18771480)
I'm sorry? PUBG sold 50 million copies. It is the 5th highest selling game in history. You can't honestly claim that's not mainstream.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by jasode on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:13PM (#18771716)
>You can't honestly claim that's not mainstream.

I see that minimaxir has been downvoted so it seems "mainstream" has different meanings.

I don't play video games and don't keep up with them. I've never heard of PUBG. But nevertheless, I did hear about Fortnite. Why? Because a business analyst on Youtube did a business case study[0] about Epic Games and the development history of Fortnite. That was unusual because he typically analyzes non-game companies[1] like Amazon, Uber, Stripe, GoPro, Theranos, etc.

My point is that there must have been a noticeable step change in popularity level between PUBG and Fortnite such that it entered his consciousness and justified a business case study from him -- which in turn entered my consciousness. If "mainstream" isn't the right word to use to describe Fortnite's greater reach to non-gamers, I don't know what a substitute word would be.

Also, I know what the "floss dance" is and that it's in Fortnite. If PUBG or other video games have named dances, I don't even know of their existence.

[0] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MDlFLBEUqWk

[1] https://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=biz+doc

Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by megaremote on Thursday December 27, 2018 @05:54PM (#18773387)
So your idea of mainstream is whatever videos you happen to run across?

Now, I do agree with you, but more to do with your point about the flossy dance, since seeing stuff from games leak into real life consistently is pretty mainstream.

Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by minimaxir on Thursday December 27, 2018 @01:57PM (#18771588)
That's why I added "outside the hardcore gamer ecosystem". PUBG was incredibly big yes, but parents weren't asking questions about their children's addiction to PUBG and talk shows didn't have long segments about PUBG.

Fortnite became a place for people to hang out: https://twitter.com/anoopr/status/1071921080485457920

Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by diminoten on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:09PM (#18771686)
I think it's hard for gamers to really appreciate what Fortnite is. It's a whole new thing, that's never happened before. It's bigger than Pacman, Pokemon, Mario, Tetris, Angry Birds, etc.

My brother, a college football player, plays it. My sister, an Instagram addict and high schooler, plays it on her phone while shopping at, I dunno, Forever 21 I guess.

This is new, and worth paying attention to.

Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by sharpneli on Thursday December 27, 2018 @04:20PM (#18772739)
Minecraft. Pokemon Go. These things come and go. There is always some new fad.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by diminoten on Friday December 28, 2018 @12:13PM (#18777987)
This is the biggest, by an order of magnitude.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by diminoten on Thursday December 27, 2018 @01:59PM (#18771603)
Compared to Fortnite, 50 million isn't that much.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by theresistor on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:05PM (#18771646)
50 million copies, not $50 million. Assuming an average selling price of $30 and a 30% storefront cut, that’s about $1 billion in revenue.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by diminoten on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:07PM (#18771665)
Sorry you're right, but 50 million copies is not much either, when compared to Fortnite.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by kels on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:18PM (#18771767)
Maybe not compared to a free game like Fortnite, but 50 million copies is huge when it comes to video game sales. The 50 million number is from Xbox and PC only.

GTA V is the top grossing game of all time and sold 90 million copies on 3 platforms. Minecraft has sold 150 across way more platforms and has been around way longer.

Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by diminoten on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:34PM (#18771881)
That's my point, Fortnite is bigger than a "video game". It's a legitimate cultural phenomenon.

This isn't about video games anymore, it's about tapping into something bigger. Even Minecraft couldn't crack into the market segments Fortnite has.

Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by chii on Thursday December 27, 2018 @04:12PM (#18772672)
Conversely, neither fortnite (nor any other game) has cracked the Minecraft market segment.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by diminoten on Friday December 28, 2018 @12:13PM (#18777992)
Fortnite is much bigger, both in terms of players and in terms of cultural impact, than Minecraft.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by andyfleming on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:12PM (#18771706)
They're different pricing models. Fortnite is free to play and PUBG has an up-front cost. Copies sold/downloaded or peak active player-base is probably a more relevant comparison.
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by chii on Thursday December 27, 2018 @04:12PM (#18772677)
Why not just computer revenue directly?
Re:Epic Games banked a $3B profit in 2018 by brianwawok on Thursday December 27, 2018 @02:05PM (#18771645)
copies not dollars