(San Francisco) Epic Games, the creator of the very popular video game Fortnite, announced Thursday a social plan to save money, even if it will continue to spend funds on its legal battle against Apple and Google.
Epic will lay off about 830 people, or 16% of its employees, according to a copy of an email sent to staff by Chief Executive Officer Tim Sweeney and posted on the company’s website.
“For some time, we’ve been spending far more money than we make, investing in Epic’s next release and growing Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators,” Mr. Sweeney to the employees.
“I have long been optimistic that we could move forward without layoffs, but in retrospect I realize that was not realistic. »
Fortnite’s growth has resumed, but it’s driven by creator content, which means a significant share of the company’s revenue, according to Mr. Sweeney, who founded the company in the 1990s.
“The success of the creator ecosystem is a great achievement, but it means a major structural change to our economic model,” he said.
According to the general director, layoffs are the only way to stabilize finances, even if they will result in development delays.
“Some of our products and initiatives will be delivered on schedule, while others will not because they are currently under-resourced,” Sweeney noted.
Although Epic has taken steps to reduce legal costs, the company “continues to fight against the distribution monopolies and taxes of Apple and Google”, he also indicated.
Epic has been fighting Apple and Google in U.S. courts for years over the rules and fees imposed by their respective app stores, which allow consumers to download video games like Fortnite to their smartphones and tablets.
Epic also decided to sell Bandcamp, the online music store it acquired early last year, and spin off another unit’s advertising business, according to the email.
