Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and the Unreal Engine, is privately held, so it does not publish a stock price or full accounts. When people ask what is the networth of epic games, they usually mean its valuation: how much investors think the whole business is worth. Here is what has been reported, and why that is not the same as net worth.
What Epic Games does
Founded by Tim Sweeney in 1991, the company is known for Fortnite, a free-to-play game with hundreds of millions of registered players. It also runs the Epic Games Store, licenses Unreal Engine, which is widely used in games and film, and owns other businesses such as Psyonix and Mediatonic.
Valuation versus net worth
Net worth, or shareholders’ equity, is assets minus liabilities from the balance sheet. Valuation is the price investors agree to pay for shares in a funding round or sale, and it reflects expected future profits. A company can be valued at far more than its book net worth, particularly a fast-growing software business. Epic has not published a balance sheet, so book net worth is unknown.
What is the networth of epic games in valuation terms?
In April 2022, Epic announced it had raised $2 billion from Sony Group and Kirkbi (the investment company of the LEGO owners) at a valuation of about $31.5 billion, as reported. Earlier, in 2020, it was valued at around $17.3 billion after a funding round. In early 2024, the Walt Disney Company announced a $1.5 billion equity investment in Epic, which was reported to be aimed at building a shared entertainment universe. The valuation implied by the deal was not officially stated in the same terms, but it signalled continued investor interest.
Who owns it
- Tim Sweeney, the founder and chief executive, has been widely reported to hold a majority of voting control.
- Tencent, the Chinese technology group, bought a 40 percent stake in 2012, as reported at the time.
- Sony, Kirkbi and Disney have held smaller stakes from later investments.
How it makes money
In-game purchases
Players buy cosmetic items, such as outfits and emotes, and battle passes. The game is free to play, and these purchases drive most of the revenue.
Engine licensing
Developers and studios pay royalties on products made with Unreal Engine above certain thresholds.
Store fees
The Epic Games Store takes a share of sales from other publishers, though a smaller one than some rivals.
Challenges
In 2023 the company cut around 830 jobs, roughly 16 percent of staff, saying spending had outpaced income. It has also fought legal battles with Apple and Google over app store rules. These factors affect both profits and valuation.
Why numbers differ
- Valuations change with each funding round.
- Epic’s private accounts are not published.
- Currencies and ownership percentages complicate comparisons.
Related reading
Our explainer on how companies define net worth shows the accounting meaning, and return on networth / equity explains how investors use it. For how personal fortunes are tied to private company stakes, see our look at Elon Musk’s holdings.
Quick questions readers ask
Is Epic public? No. What was its last reported valuation? About $31.5 billion in 2022. Who owns most of it? Tim Sweeney, with Tencent holding a large minority.
The conclusion
So what is the networth of epic games? Its book net worth is not public, but investors have valued it at tens of billions of dollars, most recently reported at about $31.5 billion in 2022, and Disney’s later investment kept interest high.
Figures are reported valuations and may be outdated. This is not investment advice.
Featured image: Epic Games' Headquarters.jpg by whohoo120, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.
