Keywords Studios tackles Fortnite frenzy as success puts rivals out of business

Videogames: Fortnite has 200 million players around the globe

Michael Bow8 April 2019

Fortnite, the videogame loved by kids and hated by bemused parents, is putting rival games makers out of business due to its phenomenal success, a major supplier said on Monday.

Keywords Studios, which makes the “picks and shovels” for videogame producers, said the “Fortnite effect” had led to spending cuts from developers, terminated games and also contributed to the collapse of four clients.

The popular battle royale-style game, made by US developer Epic Games, has attracted 200 million players and become a playground craze, but that has sapped interest in other games.

“Games of all types have lost some of their players to Fortnite,” said Keywords chief Andrew Day. “It’s outcompeted the market.”

Keywords recognised €1.6 million (£1.4 million) of bad debts in its full-year results due to the insolvency of the four clients.

Like-for-like revenue rose 10.1% to €258.6 million