Epic Games is laying off more than 1,000 employees just weeks after raising Fortnite V-Buck prices 'to help pay the bills'

• Fortnite developer Epic Games is laying off more than 1,000 employees
• This was confirmed by a memo sent to staff written by CEO Tim Sweeney
• "I'm sorry we're here again," Sweeney wrote.

Fortnite developer Epic Games has announced that it will lay off more than 1,000 employees.

A memo written by founder and CEO Tim Sweeney sent out to staff confirmed that the developer will be cutting more than 1,000 jobs. "I'm sorry we're here again," he wrote.

He blamed a "downturn in Fortnite engagement" for the decision and said that the company was now spending "significantly more" than it was bringing in.

Wider economic factors like the gaming industry's recent slower growth and the weaker uptake of current generation consoles, in addition to stiff competition from other forms of entertainment, were also fingered as causes. Interestingly, Sweeney does specifically clarify that the layoff isn't "related to AI" as some might fear, and said that the company wants to "have as many awesome developers" as it can.

It comes alongside $500 million worth of identified cost savings, focusing on contracting, marketing, and the closing of open roles.

This news comes just weeks after Epic Games announced that it would be raising the cost of the Fortnite in-game currency V-Bucks in order "help pay the bills". The new prices came into effect on March 19, 2026, and mean that a standard $8.99 purchase grants just 800 V-Bucks rather than the previous 1,000.

"The cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot," the company noted in its blog post at the time.

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