Today, Gaijin Entertainment announced that it acquired The Pit, a popular island in Fortnite, in a multi-million dollar deal.
The Pit is one of the most popular and successful user-created maps in Fortnite, and it’s part of the Fortnite Creative ecosystem. It was first created by Gavin “Geerzy” Gear back in 2020, and it peaked in 2024 with nearly 140k concurrent players.
Epic Games has a payment model for maps in the Creative ecosystem that pays out based on engagement. Gaijin Entertainment is sure that this is both “highly profitable” and a “scalable opportunity” for the group.
Geerzy and Gaijin Entertainment worked for two months on handing the island over to EndoWorlds, a studio in Gaijin’s portfolio.
This is yet another new venture for Gaijin, which has been changing things up recently. While it’s mostly known for its free-to-play games, like War Thunder, 2025 is changing that up.
Not only has it acquired The Pit, it’s also launching several paid titles, including Aces of Thunder and Active Matter, later this year. And, in March, it released Cubic Odyssey, an open-world survival game.
Anton Yudintsev, the founder of Gaijin Entertainment, shared his thoughts on what The Pit means to Gaijin:
“The acquisition of The Pit marks a new chapter for us. We are committed to supporting innovative gaming experiences, and UGC on platforms such as Fortnite is a new exciting opportunity for us.”
Geerzy also shared a statement about the acquisition:
“The Pit has been a defining project for me, and I’m thrilled to see it enter a new phase under Gaijin Entertainment. Their expertise in online gaming and commitment to innovation make them the perfect team to take The Pit to the next level.”
Saxs Persson, EVP of the Fortnite Ecosystem at Epic Games, also explained how the acquisition fits into Epic’s plans:
“When we launched Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), we envisioned building an ecosystem where creators could develop engaging experiences and choose how to grow their business in Fortnite. It’s awesome to see the investment from Gaijin, and we hope investments like this will lead to new opportunities for creators.”
For more news about what’s going on in the gaming industry, check out the newly announced iRacing Studios and the game industry veterans who are reviving the retro publisher Acclaim.
