Fortnite’s return to the App Store sparks Buzz and boosts Consideration among US gamers

After a five-year hiatus, Fortnite’s long-awaited return to the App Store on May 20 has reinvigorated consumer sentiment. Data from YouGov BrandIndex reveals a surge in both Buzz and Consideration scores among mobile and handheld video gamers in the US, underscoring how pivotal this development has been for Epic Games' mobile re-entry.

Buzz score witnesses marked uptick

The announcement on May 20 that Fortnite would be returning to iOS via third-party app stores sparked a marked resurgence in Buzz score. Buzz score is a net value based on the percentage of an audience which is hearing positive things about a brand minus the percentage of those hearing negative things. On the day of the announcement, Buzz stood at 11.8. By May 31, it had climbed to 13.5. But the real surge began in early June, with scores steadily increasing to 17.0 by June 15 — a 44% jump since the announcement.

This renewed interest suggests that Fortnite’s reintroduction wasn’t just welcomed — it reignited excitement, likely fueled by media coverage, community chatter, and anticipation among lapsed mobile players.

Consideration gets a parallel boost

While Buzz indicates conversation, Consideration reflects the percentage of people open to choosing Fortnite the next time they’re in the market for a mobile game. Here too, the effect of the App Store return is clearly visible.

At the time of the announcement, Consideration was already elevated at 17.1, having climbed throughout May. But the trajectory only steepened post-announcement. By the end of May, Consideration had reached 17.8. And in June, the metric hit a series of new highs, peaking at 19.9 on June 15. This represents a 16% increase from the May 20 figure.

Could Fortnite steal the limelight from other titles?

YouGov Profiles allows us to also take a look at what popular video game franchises an audience is currently playing. Among those considering playing Fortnite, the five most played franchises include Roblox (27%), Call of Duty (25%), GTA (24%), Candy Crush Saga (21%) and Minecraft (20%). It will be interesting to see whether players gravitating towards Fortnite results in a dip in Current Customer scores for these titles.