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Epic Games is now worth $17.3bn following latest funding round

Fortnite firm raised $1.78 billion, including Sony's $250 million investment

Unreal Engine provider and Fortnite developer Epic Games has been valued at $17.3 billion.

The updated post-money equity valuation comes after the close of a successful funding round, which has seen a further $1.78 billion poured into the company.

Epic was worth an estimated $8 billion just two years ago in the wake of Fortnite's early success.

The round was a mix of primary capital and secondary purchases from employee equity holders, and includes the recently announced $250 million strategic investment from Sony Corporation.

Other investors included Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, and David Tepper.

Previous investors KKR and Smash Ventures also contributed further funds, following their 2018 investment.

Founder and CEO Tim Sweeney remains in charge of the company.

Source: Games Industry

 

[Walter Matthau]

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[3liteDragon]

Other investors included Baillie Gifford, Fidelity Management & Research Company, Lightspeed Venture Partners, Ontario Teachers' Pension Plan Board, funds and accounts managed by BlackRock, funds and accounts advised by T. Rowe Price Associates, and David Tepper.

Wut?

 

[CitizenX]

They could literally own gaming if they wanted because of their engine. They could easily tell all devs. if you use our engine, which is free, games are exclusive to Epic for 3-6-12 months.

 

[Three]

Wut?

Those people invest in a lot of wierd things.

 

[sainraja]

They could literally own gaming if they wanted because of their engine. They could easily tell all devs. if you use our engine, which is free, games are exclusive to Epic for 3-6-12 months.

Would be a very good way of giving an edge to other firms with a free engine...

 

[Slings and Arrows]

Epic to buy Xbox division, make UE exclusive to xbox

 

[Black_Stride]

Probably puts them in the mix for WB Games

Epic isnt in the spending money game......its in the making money business.

But Rocksteady and Neatherealm under Epic would be a really sweet deal, both studios have taken UE3 much further than anyone has any right to.

 

[nemiroff]

Makes me sick to my stomach.. I mean, I don't mind them making money, but I just hope they don't succeed in ruining the PC platform with their increasing power. The Epic Store exclusivity shit is the worst.

 

[CitizenX]

Would be a very good way of giving an edge to other firms with a free engine...

The difference, Epic is the best by a mile why its the leader.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[Kerotan]

Tencent buying a big share years ago was a fantastic investment. With Epic always being at the core of console gaming for a few gens now, I'd say Sony and MS are both devastated they didn't buy a big share of the company like 15 years ago. MS were particularly close to them and it would be the type of investment they'd make.

 

[sainraja]

The difference, Epic is the best by a mile why its the leader.

But they would make it very easy for someone else to come in, if they were to do what you are suggesting.

 

[CitizenX]

But they would make it very easy for someone else to come in, if they were to do what you are suggesting.

Who? they have been the leader for 2 decades and have probably, though i have mixed feeling on TS, a team that is at the cutting edge of tech and it looks like they are not slowing down.

 

[sainraja]

Who? they have been the leader for 2 decades and have probably, though i have mixed feeling on TS, a team that is at the cutting edge of tech and it looks like they are not slowing down.

Unity for example. But does it really matter? EPIC putting in requirements like that will only open up someone else to come in with a different message to position themselves. You're saying they have been the leader for 2 decades, well, why do you think that is? It's not because of enforcing rules such as exclusivity for using their engine.

 

[CitizenX]

Unity for example. But does it really matter? EPIC putting in requirements like that will only open up someone else to come in with a different message to position themselves. You're saying they have been the leader for 2 decades, well, why do you think that is? It's not because of enforcing rules such as exclusivity for using their engine.

Unity has been growing but its not in the same league. Epic has not had this type of cash flowing in like they do now and all it takes is $$$ and they have it and the market is growing in the PC space. Why do you think MS is on PC, why is Sony releasing games on PC? Its not for fans, its for their pockets.

 

[Silvawuff]

As scary big as those numbers seem, there are two things I think that'll cause them to see an eventual decline: 1. Epic is leaning on one game for its main revenue stream. 2. Their audience is going to eventually age out of what makes Fortnite appealing to its specific generation. They'll be out of the kiddie pool soon enough, along with their lunch money. It's probably not going away any time soon, but something else will come along. Remember when MOBAs and Minecraft were blowing up? It's just a longer-winded gaming trend for a very specific audience/generation.