Apple Epic Trial

Apple says Fortnite commissions totaled more than $100 million, but the real number is likely higher

Fortnite is estimated to have generated over $1 billion on iOS before it was taken off the App Store.

Apple says Fortnite commissions totaled more than $100 million, but the real number is likely higher

Apple witness Michael Schmid claims the company earned over $100 million in Fortnite commissions. The real number may be far greater.

Photo: Getty Images

Apple earned at least $100 million in commissions taken from in-app purchases in Fortnite on iOS, according to Michael Schmid, Apple's head of game business development for the App Store. Schmid testified Wednesday in court as part of the ongoing Epic v. Apple antitrust trial, where he spoke about the relationship between Apple and Epic and how the App Store handles game distribution more generally. But the real number, which Schmid wouldn't clarify, is likely far higher.

Schmid was likely far underplaying the amount of revenue Apple earned from Fortnite's mobile app, as court documents and independent analyst firms estimate the amount to be more in the range of $300 million to $350 million. It's unclear why Schmid chose the $100 million figure when asked how much money Apple earned on commission from Fortnite through the App Store's standard 30% cut. But when asked for more detail by Epic lawyer Lauren Moskowitz whether the amount exceeded $200 million, Schmid said it would be "inappropriate" to reveal that information.

According to court documents, the iOS version of Fortnite generated about $700 million in revenue for Epic after Apple took its cut, meaning the game generated around $1 billion on Apple's platform and about $300 million of that went to Apple. That lines up with estimates from mobile app analytics firm Sensor Tower, which estimated prior to the start of the trial that Fortnite on iOS generated around $1.2 billion in gross revenue before it was taken off the App Store in August at the start Epic and Apple's dispute.

Nick Statt

Nick Statt is Protocol's video game reporter. Prior to joining Protocol, he was news editor at The Verge covering the gaming industry, mobile apps and antitrust out of San Francisco, in addition to managing coverage of Silicon Valley tech giants and startups. He now resides in Rochester, New York, home of the garbage plate and, completely coincidentally, the World Video Game Hall of Fame. He can be reached at nstatt@protocol.com.

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