--- title: Apex Legends Is Poised to Be 2019’s Fortnite. Here’s How It Makes Money description: Apex Legends is the hot on the heals of Fortnite and it's generating a lot of money. Here are all the ways it makes money. authors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Lifestyle - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Economy and Politics - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2019-03-15T16:30:57.000Z' modified: '2024-05-17T03:58:58.000Z' section: Lifestyle tags: - esports - Gaming word_count: 654 canonical: https://money.com/how-apex-legends-make-money/ type: Article source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![190315-apex](https://img.money.com/2019/03/190315-apex.jpg) If 2018 was the year of Fortnite, 2019 is all about Apex Legends. The free battle royale game was just released in February, but it's already attracted [more than 50 million](https://twitter.com/playapex/status/1102569284666978305?s=21) players. Its explosion in popularity has inspired inevitable comparisons to Fortnite, a similarly structured game that earned [over $2 billion](https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/16/18184302/fortnite-revenue-battle-pass-earnings-2018) in 2018. As a result, the two are now locked in a fight of their own. Apex is [releasing](https://www.cnet.com/news/apex-legends-battle-pass-rumors-the-wait-continues/) battle passes (like Fortnite), [topping](https://www.dexerto.com/apex-legends/apex-legends-smashes-fortnite-twitch-first-week-349966) Twitch viewing charts (like Fortnite) and even [courting](https://www.theverge.com/2019/3/13/18264366/ninja-ea-apex-legends-1-million-dollars-promoted-stream-fortnite-sponsorships) famous streamers (like... Fortnite). And it's not like Fortnite has gotten less popular in the meantime: It's notching milestones *alongside* Apex. In February, the DJ Marshmello held an in-game concert that [drew](https://www.polygon.com/2019/2/21/18234998/fortnite-record-players-apex-legends) a record 10.7 million players. No matter which game you prefer, there is a huge amount of money at play. Here's everything you should know about Apex Legends' money — and how it compares to Fortnite. ## How Does Apex Legends Make Money? Apex Legends is free to play on Xbox One, PS4 and PC, but it does offer Fortnite-like microtransactions in order to generate cash. Players can buy things using an in-game currency called [Apex Legends Coins](https://www.gamestop.com/collection/apex-legends). Starting at $9.99 for 1,000, Apex Coins purchase Apex Packs, which are loot boxes that contain cosmetic upgrades. (There are also [two other currencies](https://www.polygon.com/apex-legends-guide/2019/2/8/18217168/apex-legends-microtransactions-guide-coins-packs-tokens-crafting-materials), as well, but we're not getting into them.) Some people have criticized Apex's skins for being too expensive — a Valentine's Day rifle skin, for example, [cost](https://kotaku.com/the-new-apex-legends-skin-prices-are-too-damn-high-1832660794) the real-world equivalent of $11. [The Verge complained that](https://www.theverge.com/2019/2/16/18226709/apex-legends-microtransaction-prices-cosmetic-items-respawn-ea-debate) the game has an "aggressive pricing model and an overly complex economy." At least one player has spent $500 to go through 500 boxes in search of a special heirloom item. “To be honest, \[the\] best way to describe how I feel after spending the $500 would probably be in ‘shock,’” the player told [told Kotaku](https://kotaku.com/apex-legends-player-spent-500-to-unlock-a-rare-item-s-1832822740). ## How Much Money Does Apex Legends Make? Probably a lot. Apex is published by Electronic Arts, better known as EA. Its release has given EA a much-needed financial boost: In the three days after Apex's February launch, [Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-electronic-arts-apexlegends/top-gamer-ninja-made-1-million-to-promote-eas-apex-legends-launch-source-idUSKBN1QU2AC) that [EA saw](https://seekingalpha.com/article/4247441-electronic-arts-apex-legends-gains-last) stocks surge by 16%. EA's share price, which was struggling to break $80 in December, is now hovering around the $100 mark. It's unclear how long this streak will last, but [experts](https://finance.yahoo.com/news/strong-apex-release-continues-boost-153221824.html) [have said](https://seekingalpha.com/news/3432137-ea-plus-8_8-percent-analysts-praise-apex-legends-rocket-growth) that Apex could increase EA's overall revenue by more than $500 million. That, too, is partially thanks to Fortnite. Jefferies analyst Timothy O'Shea [wrote recently](https://www.barrons.com/articles/electronic-arts-stock-apex-legends-51552067086) that Fortnite "unquestionably expanded the market," noting that "Fortnite is not just a game. It is a place. And it’s where people are spending time and money in today’s media landscape as gaming goes fully mainstream.” ## Who Is the Creator of Apex Legends? EA's Respawn Entertainment developed Apex Legends. The CEO of Respawn itself is Vince Zampella, a veteran of the video game industry. According to [Celebrity Net Worth](https://www.celebritynetworth.com/richest-businessmen/richest-designers/vincent-zampella-net-worth/), which [generates](https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/19/style/richest-celebrities-in-hollywood.html) estimates based on news reports and records, he's worth about $40 million. At least part of that likely comes from a 2012 court settlement: Zampella [sued](https://venturebeat.com/2010/03/03/call-it-modern-legal-warfare-as-game-creators-sue-the-mother-ship/) Activision in 2010 after it fired and refused to pay him and his colleagues [$125 million](https://latimesblogs.latimes.com/entertainmentnewsbuzz/2010/04/activision-infinity-ward-employees-lawsuit-call-duty-modern-warfare.html) in royalties for their work on Call of Duty. ## Can You Make Money Playing Apex Legends? Yes — if you're good at it. [Reuters reported](https://www.reuters.com/article/us-electronic-arts-apexlegends/top-gamer-ninja-made-1-million-to-promote-eas-apex-legends-launch-source-idUSKBN1QU2AC?feedType=RSS&feedName=technologyNews) that EA paid Tyler "Ninja" Blevins $1 million to promote Apex Legends after it launched last month. On the esports tutoring platform Gamer Sensei, coaches like [Darian 'Hagabao\_Apex' Chen](https://www.gamersensei.com/senseis/hagabao_apex) sell Apex Legends lessons for up to $25.49 an hour. Other players stream Apex Legends on live-broadcast site [Twitch](https://www.twitch.tv/directory/game/Apex%20Legends), where they take a cut of subscription fees. There are also less savory characters profiting from Apex Legends. Several websites sell Apex Legends cheats, with [one](https://www.iwantcheats.net/apex-legends-hacks-cheats-aimbot/) costing $27 for 30 days of access. But be careful. If you get caught, you run the risk of getting banned by Respawn, [which has kicked out](https://motherboard.vice.com/en_us/article/zmakq9/apex-legends-cheating-will-be-a-problem-as-long-as-cheat-sellers-make-money) 355,000 people for cheating so far. ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/how-apex-legends-make-money/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Lifestyle", "item": "https://money.com/lifestyle/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Entertainment", "item": "https://money.com/entertainment/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "Apex Legends Is Poised to Be 2019’s Fortnite. 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