Ariana Grande ‘set to rake in $20MILLION’ for her virtual Fortnite concerts this week

ARIANA Grande looks set to scoop more than $20million from her virtual appearance in Fortnite.

The pop superstar will host a series of in-game performances this week – potentially marking Fortnite’s biggest event ever.

Read the latest stories for PS5 Keep up-to-date with all the Xbox newsRead the latest gaming news

Epic GamesThe Rift Tour performance will take place five times[/caption]

Epic GamesYou can watch the show entirely for free[/caption]

There are five live shows for fans to tune into, and in-game items that they can collect too.

This includes an Ariana Grande “outfit” that lets gamers play as the American music sensation.

Epic Games doesn’t disclose the exact details of its deals with stars who participate in their events.

But according to Forbes, Ariana Grande is set for a massive payday thanks to the Fortnite collaboration.

Estimates put a previous event by Travis Scott as earning him $20million in merchandise sales.

As Ariana Grande is an even bigger artist – with more fans and higher album sales – you would expect a bigger turnaround.

It’s likely Ariana Grande is receiving some kind of cash payout from Epic Games.

And it’s possible this could include a cut of sales of in-game items.

Plus it’s inevitable that the event will drive people to listen to Ariana Grande songs outside of the game – and potentially splash cash on real-world merchandise too.

Doing a virtual tour is also a great way to reach huge numbers of fans at a much lower cost compared to real-world gigs.

Although lots of effort goes into creating a compelling digital production, it’s inevitably smaller-scale than carting teams of people to stadiums around the world.

The event is called the Fortnite Rift Tour, and takes place between August 6 and 8.

“Take a musical journey into magical new realities where Fortnite and Ariana Grande collide,” said Fortnite creator Epic Games.

There are five different showings, and you can schedule when you want to attend with pals.

Epic Games says it’s best to arrive in Fortnite around 60 minutes before the showtime.

And the Rift Tour playlist should appear around 30 minutes before each show.

These are the event times:

Show 1 – Friday, August 6 – 6pm NYC / 11pm LondonShow 2 – Saturday, August 7 – 2pm NYC / 7pm LondonShow 3 – Sunday, August 8 – 12am ET / 5am LondonShow 4 – Sunday, August 8 – 10am NYC / 3pm LondonShow 5 – Sunday, August 8 – 6pm NYC / 11pm London

As part of the event, there’s a new Ariana Grande outfit and Piggy Smallz Back Bling.

Travis Scott previously performed a virtual tour, and Diplo hosted a live Major Lazer concert.

Other artists who have released or shown off content in Fortnite include BTS, J Balvin, Steve Aoki, Dillon Francis and Deadmau5.

The virtual gig was previously leaked online.

Other big-name franchise tie-ups include wildly popular anime Naruta, and DC’s Justice League and Suicide Squad.

Hit Netflix series Stranger Things is also mooted for a crossover, and this has been corroborated by a separate leak.

Of course, Epic Games hasn’t formally confirmed that any of these events are taking place.

But the company regularly hosts Fortnite events, so it’s likely there are big plans in the making.

Epic GamesThere’s an Ariana Grande outfit to bag in Fortnite[/caption]

Epic GamesNew items are coming to Fortnite[/caption]

In other news, check out the new Lamborghini Huracan Evo that can clean your house and cook you dinner.

Check out the wildly impressive Panasonic 65HZ1000 TV, which makes most tellies look rubbish.

Read our complete guide to Call of Duty 2021.

And Dell’s Alienware R10 Ryzen Edition is a gaming PC powerhouse that crushes both the new consoles.

We pay for your stories! Do you have a story for The Sun Online Tech & Science team? Email us at tech@the-sun.co.uk