Weekly Newsletter 12/7
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Innovation in Action
Fortnite Fans🎮 vs. Sports Fans⚽️🏀🏈⚾️
This week, Fortnite is launching their fourth chapter. Since its launch in October 2017, the Epic Games title went from a small battle royale game to an unprecedented global leader in the gaming community.
Within the game’s first 12-months, Fortnite grew at accelerated rates. The overall gaming industry was led by both casual and social gamers, two audiences Fortnite appeals to. Per our data, we estimate a 22,000% increase in total monthly population of Fortnite users during the games’ first year. From November 2017 to now, Fortnite’s monthly user base has increased by over 112,000%. But what was driving this massive increase in Fortnite’s popularity?
For starters, Twitch and the streaming community helped surge gaming into the spotlight. Not only were average gamers streaming daily, but so were athletes and musicians. This cross-promotion of brands allowed for larger audiences to take part in the cultural phenomena. While most leagues and properties have their own video game franchises, we decided to look at Fortnite’s growth and seasonality to pinpoint which sport should look into gaming cross-promotions to enhance their marketing strategies or learn more about their evolving fanbases.
*Our data comes from a random panel of 10 million credit & debit card holders in the United States. Transactions portrayed here are from 1/1/2020 through 12/7/2022.
Fortnite knows how to make a splash. A prime example was in 2018 when global music superstar Drake streamed with Tyler “Ninja” Blevins, breaking then viewership records with 635,000 concurrent viewers.
Last week, we examined how the baseball community has a large volume of total customers and spend (based on the average age of fans), but the league has struggled to capture their future fans, what we call Fluid Fans. Baseball has had their ups and downs with the popular video game franchise; there was a time when teams felt the game was a distraction to the clubhouse. MLB teams have since capitalized on opportunities to cross-promote or work alongside Epic Games.The Atlanta Braves took their first step into the metaverse, thanks in part to the wildly successful Travis Scott concert hosted in the Fortnite universe.
Through our data, we see a crossover in purchasing trends between baseball fans and video games. According to the Polygon, the United States’ best selling video game in April 2021 was MLB The Show, which beat out popular titles including Call of Duty. This can be attributed to their cross-platform debut, launching on different generation consoles: Xbox One and Xbox Series X (the game was already released on Playstation consoles). While it is clear that MLB understands the benefits of cross-platform exposure, the league should continue to pursue other collaborations and outlets to enhance the fandom of the sport. An extra step the league has yet to take is launching dedicated player skins similar to Fortnite’s partnership with the NFL.
April is a huge month for baseball. According to our data, April is a slower month for Fortnite monthly users, and the title has typically launched new chapters around the holiday season. This could present a fresh opportunity for both MLB and Fortnite to engage during a typically “off-season” for the game.
WORLD CUP RECAP
World Cup Quarterfinals To Start This Weekend
The 2022 World Cup in Qatar is well underway, and we are now approaching the second half of the tournament. As the round with 16 teams finished up yesterday, the quarterfinal matches are now set: Netherlands vs Argentina 12/9/22 at 2pm, Croatia vs. Brazil 12/9/22 at 10am, and England vs. France 12/10/22 at 2pm. The World Cup final match will take place December 18th.
Scores from earlier this week are as follows:
Netherlands 3, United States 1
Argentina 2, Australia 1
Croatia 1, PKS (3), Japan 1, PKS (1)
Brazil 4, South Korea 1
France 3, Poland 1
England 3, Senegal 1
Morocco 0, PKS (3), Spain 0, PKS (0)
Portugal 6, Switzerland 1
If you're ready to create breakthrough fan experiences and connect with the Fluid Fan through technology, visit our website sportsilab.com or email info@sportsilab.com!