Learn how to invest in Epic Games stock if the company files for an IPO. Open an account with a commission-free online broker such as M1 Finance in anticipation of its public debut.
Table of Contents
Latest Epic Games Stock IPO News
03/21/2021: Fortnite-owner Epic Games worth $28bn as fundraising taps lockdown bonanza
01/05/2021: Fortnite Creator Is Buying a Dying Mall to Develop New Headquarters
08/13/2020: Fortnite vs. Apple and Google: Everything you need to know
08/06/2020: ‘Fortnite’ creator Epic Games is now valued at $17.3 billion after blockbuster funding deal
What is Epic Games?
Epic Games is a video game company based in Cary, NC. It’s best known as the creator of the first-person shooter game, Fortnite, one of 10 most popular online games globally, with more than 350 million registered users.
Fortnite is free to play, but the company makes money from in-app purchases (that do not give players an advantage).
Since its founding, the company has created more than 50 games, and recently acquired the HouseParty smartphone app and several game development technologies.
It also created the Unreal Engine, a game development software framework for use by other game developers.
Epic Games was founded in 1991 by Tim Sweeney.
Is Epic Games Publicly Traded?
No, the company is privately owned. Founder and CEO, Tim Sweeney, owns more than 50% of the company.
Tencent Holdings (TCEHY), the Chinese conglomerate and largest video game company worldwide, purchased a 40% equity stake in Epic Games in 2012.
Other shareholders include early investors, employees, and venture capital firms, including Baillie Gifford, Fidelity, Lightspeed Venture Partners, the Ontario Teachers’ Pension Plan Board, T. Rowe Price, Blackrock, David Tepper, KKR, and Smash Ventures.
Its most recent funding round (August 2020) valued the company at $17.3 billion.
You can find a complete list of Epic Games investors at Crunchbase.
When is the Epic Games IPO date?
The Epic Games IPO date is currently unknown. The company is majority-owned by its founder and CEO, so it won’t go public until he says so.
As private demand for ownership remains high, Epic Games does not need to go public in the immediate future.
However, as Epic Games has increased its equity shareholders to include more venture capital firms, a future IPO is more likely so that private investors can cash out.
Private investors are patient, but will eventually need liquidity.
We won’t know the date until one of two things happens:
- The Epic Games IPO date range leaks to the financial press
- The SEC releases a publicly-available Epic Games S-1 filing
Typically with a high-profile company of this size, reports of intent to have an IPO will leak to the press a year or two ahead of the IPO. As of mid-2020, we haven’t seen reporting on a potential IPO, indicating the Epic Games IPO may be a few years off.
Even when the company and SEC publicly release the S-1 filing, we still won’t know a firm date. However, the IPO date typically occurs a month or two after the S-1 releases to the public.
Because Epic Games is a so-called unicorn, you can be sure that the Epic Games IPO date announcement will be big news.
What is the Epic Games Stock Price?
Since Epic Games is not publicly traded on a stock exchange, there is no Epic Games stock price yet.
What is the Epic Games Stock Symbol, Epic Games Ticker?
Epic Games has not yet submitted public filings to the Securities and Exchange Commission. Therefore, we don’t know what the Epic Games stock symbol will be. We can only speculate about the Epic Games ticker.
Here are two suggestions, both of which are available in the U.S.:
- EPIC
- EG
Will Epic Games be a Motley Fool Stock Advisor Recommendation?
We won’t know until after the IPO if Epic Games will be a Motley Fool Stock Advisor recommendation. However, Epic Games stock fits the mold of high-growth, disruptive business models that the Fool typically recommends.
Considering the Fool’s affinity to recommend video game stocks (EA, ZNGA, ATVI, TTWO) and many software as a service companies, I wouldn’t be surprised if Epic Games stock becomes a top pick after the IPO.
Epic Games may also receive a recommendation by the Motley Fool Rule Breakers newsletter or other premium services. Both services have handily beaten the broader market since the early 2000s.
Read this Motley Fool Stock Advisor review to learn about their stock selection methodologies and how you can participate in excellent returns.
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Can you Buy Epic Games Stock? Four Potential Ways
It’s a challenge to acquire shares of a stock that is not yet trading on the public markets. It is possible, but you may not be eligible, and it may not be worth the hassle.
For example, if you look at Uber stock, individual investors salivated for years, waiting for it to trade publicly. When it finally went public, the stock price fell. So you were better off waiting to buy the stock instead of buying it before the IPO.
There is one way to own Epic Games stock indirectly, and three ways you may be able to acquire shares of a pre-IPO stock such as Epic Games.
- Own Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) stock
- Buy Epic Games Stock After it Begins Trading
- Buy Epic Games Stock in the Initial Public Offering (IPO)
- Buy Epic Games Stock in Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplaces
1. Own Tencent Holdings (TCEHY) Stock
You can own a small piece of Epic Games by purchasing stock in the Chinese-based technology conglomerate Tencent Holding (TCEHY), which is traded on the Hong Kong stock exchange.
Tencent Holdings owns 40% of Epic Games as a result of a 2012 investment. However, its Epic Games investment value is a fraction of its total value, around $700 billion as of mid-2020.
U.S. investors can own international stocks through an ADR, or American depository receipts, which offer U.S.-based investors a way to own non-US stocks without the complexities of dealing in foreign stock markets and taxes.
I recommend buying individual stocks via one of the no-fee online brokers mentioned on this page.
2. Buy Stock After the Epic Games IPO
Since acquiring pre-IPO shares is delicate and usually reserved for wealthy investors (accredited), the most likely way you’ll own the stock is to wait patiently for the IPO to complete.
In many cases, investors can get in at a price at or below the IPO price. This is not always true. The Beyond Meat IPO, for example, soared and never looked back. But Uber, which many predicted to rise steeply, actually fell on the IPO date.
The moral here is that spending significant effort to own a company before the IPO may not be worth it in the end. You may also spend time and effort to obtain shares, but only receive a small allocation. Even if the stock soars, your upside gain may be limited.
Your best chance to own the stock is by waiting for the IPO and making a purchase of Epic Games stock through a no-fee online brokerage account. You can open the account well before the IPO, then place your first trade to learn how to buy shares of a company.
I recommend starting with a company you know well. If you like Walmart, for example, buy Walmart stock.
So what is the best online brokerage for buying Epic Games stock?
As an individual investor, you’ll want to open an account with a commission-free online broker. That way, you’ll invest most of your money instead of waste it on fees.
I’ll go over one of my favorites below. It has very reasonable fees and will make it easy to buy Epic Games stock once it begins trading on open stock markets.
What is the Best Online Broker to Buy Epic Games Stock after the IPO?
If want to participate in IPOs, TradeStation and Webull offer IPO investing to customers (more below). However, you’re never guaranteed a share allocation and most high-demand IPO will not be available.
Long-term investors may prefer an online broker that’s better for dollar cost averaging and dividend reinvestment.
I’m a big fan of the online brokerage M1 Finance. M1 Finance is a reliable and robust, no-fee online broker for beginner to intermediate investors. It’s easy to get started.
As your investing skills and portfolio mature, M1 is one of the best platforms to scale.
Investing in stocks is 100% free on the platform. They also offer an integrated checking account and low borrowing rates. Read my complete M1 Finance review here.
M1 Finance does not offer IPO access. But it’s my favorite for every day investing.
The platform is more intuitive than old school brokers because it’s built on a modern technology platform. You create portfolio “pies” that contains all the stocks and ETFs you want to own and in what percentages. Simply add Epic Games stock to your portfolio pie.
3. Buy Stock in the Epic Games Initial Public Offering (IPO)
Ambitious investors may attempt to position themselves to invest in the Epic Games IPO once it arrives. Most retail investors will not get access.
The wealthiest clients at the top investment banks will get IPO shares in the hottest deals.
Your chances of getting IPO shares depends on four factors:
- IPO demand
- Your broker and eligibility
- Your assets under management at the broker
- Propensity to flip shares
As IPO demand increases, the chances of receiving IPO shares decreases. Therefore, the IPOs that are most interesting to the masses are the hardest to access.
Lower-demand IPOs may be available to retail investors who are customers at participating brokers.
What are the Best Online Brokers for IPO Investing?
For an extensive list of IPO-friendly online brokers and their eligibility, check out this page.
Wealthy customers ($1 million+ accounts) at Fidelity, TD Ameritrade, and Schwab may have a shot at some IPOs, depending on demand.
TradeStation and Webull are the best options for investors with less than $250,000. Both give limited access to lower-demand IPOs and secondary offerings through a partnership with ClickIPO, an IPO investing app.
Joining a broker that offers access to IPOs does not guarantee a share allocation, especially in high-demand IPOs. You are probably better off waiting for the company to start trading after the IPO.
Click here to download the free 15-page eBook, How to Invest in IPOs – A Fundamental Guide for Ordinary Investors.
4. Buy Epic Games in Pre-IPO Secondary Marketplaces
Founders, early employees, and investors often find themselves in a difficult predicament. They own valuable shares of a company that doesn’t trade publicly.
These shareholders might have multi-million dollar net worth’s because of their stock holdings, but the stock is not liquid because it doesn’t trade on an exchange.
Two platforms have evolved to gives these individuals a way to liquidate their holding before the IPO. The two sites are EquityZen and Sharespost.
Both sites bring liquidity to an otherwise illiquid asset. Accredited investors may join these sites and attempt to buy shares of these companies when they become available.
The shares are only offered to accredited investors because the company’s financials are not publicly filed with regulators yet, increasing the risk to investors.
For High-profile companies, demand is high, lowering your chances of acquiring shares, if you’re accredited.
Conclusion
For ordinary investors, it will be difficult to acquire pre-IPO Epic Games shares. If you’re determined, follow the pre-IPO marketplaces and pay attention to any offerings. You must be accredited to invest this way.
Otherwise, you’ll need to wait for the IPO date or buy an indirect position through Tencent Holdings.
But that’s not necessarily a reason to be disappointed. Google’s shares rose 18% on the day of its IPO. Many people probably sold that day. Had they held for the next decade, their holdings would have been up 1,000%.
When the Epic Games IPO is near, please perform due diligence on the SEC S-1 filing and don’t buy Epic Games stock with money you can’t afford to lose.
Disclosure: The web page contains affiliate links from our partners. If a reader opens an account or buys a service from a link in this article, we may be compensated at no additional cost to the reader. Opening an account with a broker that provides access to IPOs does not guarantee the customer allocations of specific IPOs.
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