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Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Epic Games said on March 24, 2026, that it would lay off over 1,000 employees. CEO Tim Sweeney attributed the cuts to a Fortnite engagement downturn that began in 2025, while the available announcement and reporting do not independently verify the company’s engagement or financial claims.
How many Epic Games employees were laid off?
Epic’s March 24, 2026, announcement said, “Today we’re laying off over 1000 Epic employees.” The company did not give a final exact total in that statement. The Associated Press (AP) characterized the cuts as about 20% of Epic’s workforce and reported that about 4,000 employees would remain; those are AP’s estimates, not an exact headcount supplied by Epic.
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Epic said employees affected by the cuts would receive a severance package including at least four months of base pay, with additional severance based on tenure. The announcement does not establish what any individual employee would receive beyond that minimum description.
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Why did Epic say it was making cuts?
Sweeney framed the layoffs as a response to Fortnite’s engagement trend and the company’s spending. In the official announcement, he wrote: “The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we’re spending significantly more than we’re making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded.”
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That is Epic’s stated explanation. The announcement and contemporaneous AP coverage do not provide an independently measured engagement series or audited financial figures to verify the claimed downturn or the spending-versus-revenue comparison. AP also reported that an Epic memo cited slower growth, weaker spending, tougher cost economics, and competition with social media and other online entertainment for people’s time.
Did Epic say AI caused the layoffs?
No. AP reported that Epic’s memo said the cuts were not related to AI. That statement describes the company’s position as reported by AP; it does not offer a separate analysis of the factors behind the layoffs.
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How does this compare with Epic’s 2023 layoffs?
AP reported that Epic cut 830 jobs, about 16% of its workforce, in 2023. The comparison below uses AP’s reported estimates for both rounds; Epic’s 2026 announcement itself stated only “over 1000” layoffs.
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|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | Over 1,000 | About 20% | Epic’s announced count; AP’s reported workforce-share estimate |
| 2023 | 830 | About 16% | AP’s report on the 2023 round |
What did Epic say it planned to prioritize?
Epic said it wanted to create fresh Fortnite seasonal content and accelerate work on developer tools, including evolving from Unreal Engine 5 and UEFN toward Unreal Engine 6. These were announced priorities, not evidence that the planned changes have since been completed.
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