- Epic Games will be laying off over 1000 employees after facing funding issues.
- CEO Tim Sweeney explained how the company is currently spending more than it is earning.
- Epic will also be taking down Fortnite Festival Battle Stage, Ballistic, and Rocket Racing soon.
After the stellar release of Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2, it looks like the high of a new season is coming crashing down for a lot of players as Epic Games has officially announced that they will not only be laying off over 1000 employees, but also taking three Fortnite modes offline soon. Here’s everything we know about this unfortunate round of Fortnite layoffs.
Epic Reveals Downturn in Fortnite Engagement Led to Over 1000 Layoffs
According to the official Epic Games blog post, CEO Tim Sweeney noted how Fortnite saw a downward trend in engagement, which started in 2025, and how the trend has significantly impacted Epic’s earnings in comparison to their spending. This downturn is essentially the core reason behind the layoffs, along with over $500 million in cost savings.
Tim Sweeney then highlighted Fortnite returning to the Google Play Store and how the developers at Epic have just begun optimising Fortnite for all the mobile devices in the world. This added a whole other facet of development for the game, further impacting its budget and overall spending. It is important to note that the Epic Games CEO highlighted that these layoffs are not related to AI at all.
While Epic will soon be releasing AI brainrot skins into the Item Shop, the layoffs not being caused by AI should be somewhat comforting for a lot of players. Tim Sweeney also added that the employees impacted by the layoffs will be given severance pay, along with other severance benefits, so they can smoothly transition into a possible next job.
Along with the layoffs, Epic will also be taking these three modes offline soon:
- Ballistic
- Rocket Racing
- Festival Battle Stage
Rocket Racing and Fortnite Festival Battle Stage have been a part of the game’s ecosystem since Chapter 5, and despite lacking substantial gameplay updates over the years, they have managed to get some love from the community. Ballistic was the game’s attempt at a tactical 5v5 shooter along the lines of Valorant. All of these modes will soon be taken down, essentially being permanently deleted from the Fortnite ecosystem.
With the recent V-Bucks pricing controversy and now this, Epic is having a tough time maintaining itself in the good graces of its fans. While the release of Fortnite Chapter 7 Season 2 has been great, it is important for the developers to find a way to preserve jobs for their talented team and experiences that, despite being incredibly niche, have become a part of the game’s ecosystem.
What are your opinions on this round of layoffs by Epic Games? Do you regularly play any of the game modes that are shutting down? Tell us in the comments below!
