Epic Games just made a major move. Fortnite’s data API is live. This gives creators and brands a clearer window into how content performs across the platform.
Here’s everything we know so far about Fortnite’s data API and what it means for the future.
Let’s look at the data. 👇
What data is now publicly available?
Here’s what will be publicly accessible:
- Minutes played: Total minutes played by all players
- Minutes per player: Average total minutes per unique player
- Plays: Number of game sessions played
- Favorites: Number of times players favorited the island
- Recommends: Number of times players recommended the island (previously “Likes”)
- Peak CCU: Peak concurrent player count
- Unique Players: Number of distinct players
- Retention D1: Day-over-day retention
- Retention D7: Week-over-week retention
What does the Fortnite data API mean for creators?
Fortnite’s data API is a key milestone for virtual worlds, like Roblox, ZEPETO, or Fortnite. Platforms, like Fortnite or GEEIQ data partner ZEPETO, are starting to offer more meaningful performance data to empower their creator economy.
With this new level of transparency, creators can now:
- Benchmark their islands against others more easily.
- Conduct competitive analysis to refine content strategy.
- Derive deeper insights on what content actually resonates.
Why should brands care?
Two developments, just seven days apart, are setting the stage for Epic and Fortnite’s next growth phase.
First, the platform’s return to iOS in the US is expected to boost daily active users. We anticipate that usage patterns will begin to mirror those of other virtual UGC platforms. That is, we’ll see shorter but more frequent sessions, much like what we see on traditional social media.
Second, Fortnite’s data API is a game-changer. It gives brands access to key metrics like minutes played, unique players, and more, all updated as frequently as every 10 minutes.
This is a major unlock for:
- Campaign optimization
- Competitive benchmarking
- Audience targeting
- Post-campaign reporting
The release of new public performance metrics is a strong signal that Fortnite is becoming a more transparent and brand-friendly platform. With these new data points, brands can finally take a more informed, data-led approach to entering Fortnite.
Why should brands invest in Fortnite?
Gen Z and Gen Alpha already spend more time on Fortnite and Roblox than TikTok and YouTube combined. But Fortnite offers something unique: visually rich, social, and co-created experiences powered by Unreal Engine and supported by a rapidly maturing creator ecosystem.
Fortnite’s growth as a brand platform isn’t speculative. In Q1 2025 alone, Fortnite brand integrations were up 57% year-over-year, nearly matching the number of owned experiences on the platform. Integrations are campaign-friendly, time-limited activations that offer massive reach without the overhead of building a permanent world from scratch.
In short: Fortnite now balances creative flexibility with measurable performance, making it one of the most viable virtual worlds for modern brand storytelling.
Barney Lynch, who has worked on virtual strategies for Walmart, Elton John (Rocket Entertainment), and essence cosmetics, elaborated on this:
“Fortnite continues to attract brands targeting its male 16-24 audience and wanting to leverage Unreal Engine’s high-fidelity graphics. Since our last report, it’s exciting to see new developer-friendly tools and mechanics enabling more sophisticated experiences and deeper player engagement. This evolution is fueling creator community growth. In turn, Fortnite becomes a more tenable persistent marketing channel.”
So, what’s next?
If you’re a marketer for a B2C brand evaluating how to show up in Fortnite, this shift means you no longer have to fly blind. Performance data is no longer buried in private dashboards or dev teams. It’s now accessible, trackable, and actionable.
To take full advantage:
- Identify the right creators to partner with – those already driving engagement.
- Use API data to evaluate campaign performance in real time.
- Track key KPIs like retention, replayability, and minutes played to measure true impact.
These are the kinds of insights marketers have long expected from social platforms. Now, they’re finally available in gaming.
