With over 1,000 jobs cut at Epic today, we’re beginning to hear from some of those affected.
One startled employee has taken to X (or Twitter) to share their story, stating they’re “confused and bewildered” by the layoffs.
Ex-Fortnite Principal Engineer Evan Kinney wrote:
“I spent the past week debugging the rivalry system while recovering from pneumonia. And just in the past few days I’ve had multiple directors tell me how much they appreciate everything. I have done so much for this company and our games. Solid performance reviews every time, with multiple people mentioning how critical I am and what an impact I make across multiple teams. Just to be thrown out. I don’t get it.”
In a statement earlier today, Epic said that it’s “spending significantly more than its making” on live service giga-hit Fortnite, and has dramatically reduced its staff in response.
As a consequence of the layoffs, it’s also stripping back some of the Battle Royale’s superfluous modes, like Rocket Racing.
The sad reality for Kinney here is that he probably didn’t do anything wrong at all. Fortnite is still a juggernaut, but it strikes us that it’s bloated to a point where it simply can’t sustain itself. Pair that with wider economic downturns and you get the outcome today.
It’s sad that those in the trenches, who’ve given their blood, sweat, and tears to the game, will face the consequences. But that’s just how things go in 2026, isn’t it?
We’re hopeful Kinney, and his many, many colleagues, will all land new roles soon.