A major video game company, Epic Games, has announced it will lay off more than 1,000 employees after its popular game Fortnite started losing players.
What happened?
Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney said the company is now spending more money than it is earning.
This is mainly because Fortnite has seen a drop in players and activity since 2025. Reports show:
- playtime dropped by about 29% in one year
- the battle royale game market dropped by around 27%
Because of this, the company is making big cuts to stay financially stable.
How big are the layoffs?
More than 1,000 employees are losing their jobs.
Epic also said it is cutting over 500 million US dollars in other costs, including marketing and contracts.
Before the layoffs, the company had about 4,000 employees, meaning around one in five workers is affected.
Changes to the game
Epic is also shutting down some parts of Fortnite, including Rocket Racing, Festival Battle Stage and Ballistic mode. These changes are meant to reduce costs and focus on fewer features.
What about players?
The company recently increased the price of V Bucks, the in game currency used in Fortnite.
Players also noticed they are getting fewer rewards, which has caused some frustration among fans.
Not caused by AI
Epic clarified that these job cuts are not because of artificial intelligence.
Instead, the main reasons are fewer players, rising costs and changes in the gaming market.
What this means
Fortnite is still one of the world’s most popular games, but this shows how quickly trends can change in the gaming world.
