Epic Games has announced mass layoffs affecting more than 1,000 staff, citing a sustained decline in Fortnite engagement that began in 2025.

In a note sent to employees on 24 March 2026, the company said the reductions were necessary because of a "downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025" and that it was "spending significantly more than we're making." The communication framed the cuts as a response to the changed commercial reality around the publisher's flagship title.

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The scale of the redundancies was not broken down by team or region in the note made public by media outlets. The move represents one of the largest job reductions in the UK-era games sector in recent years and highlights the commercial pressure on live-service titles when player numbers and engagement fall.

Epic Games' portfolio spans Fortnite, the Unreal Engine and the Epic Games Store, with Fortnite historically a major revenue driver for the company through in-game purchases and seasonal content. The publisher's announcement underscores the financial dependency of the wider business on sustained engagement with its live-service offerings.

Reporting on the story was originally published by Push Square. Source: Push Square.