Epic Games, which makes Fortnite, raises $2B from Sony and KIRKBI, the holding company behind LEGO, at a $31.5B post-money valuation
Epic Games said on Monday it had raised $2 billion from Sony Group Corp (6758.T) and the family owned holding company behind the Lego Group, giving the “Fortnite” maker a valuation of $31.5 billion.
Context & Ripple Effects
Epic’s valuation has climbed through successive financings: the 2020 round valued it at $17.3 billion, followed by a $1 billion raise at a $28.7 billion valuation in 2021. Sony participated in both earlier rounds, making its participation here a continuing commitment rather than a new relationship.
KIRKBI joins an investor base that previously included firms such as KKR, Iconiq, Lightspeed and Kleiner Perkins. The new financing adds the holding company behind LEGO alongside Sony as Epic reaches its highest reported valuation in this coverage.
First-order effects
- Epic receives $2 billion in new capital at a $31.5 billion post-money valuation, extending the valuation increase recorded across its prior two rounds.
- Sony deepens its repeated investment in Epic, while KIRKBI becomes a newly disclosed backer of the Fortnite maker.
Second-order effects
- Epic’s earlier financial investors now share the company’s investor base with Sony and KIRKBI, increasing the weight of corporate and consumer-brand-linked owners in future ownership decisions.
- The $31.5 billion valuation resets the reference point for any subsequent Epic financing after the company’s $28.7 billion valuation in 2021.
Third-order effects
- If Sony continues to participate in Epic financings and KIRKBI’s entry is followed by similar investors, Epic’s funding model will tilt further from a conventional venture syndicate toward a mixed base of financial and industry-linked capital.
The trend: Epic is using repeated private financings and returning strategic investors to sustain a rapidly rising valuation between public-market exits.