All posts tagged: Epic Games

New Star Wars Games and Experiences Coming to Fortnite in Partnership

New Star Wars Games and Experiences Coming to Fortnite in Partnership

Published by Daniella Wilson

The Walt Disney Co. and Epic Games are doubling down on Star Wars in Fortnite, launching a slew of new games and features that will bring characters and worlds from the franchise to the video game, and tee up the first Star Wars film in years The Mandalorian and Grogu in the process. Star Wars has been a frequent presence in Fortnite for years, mostly through special events and some branded seasons of the game, but the new features significantly build on that, with a toolkit that lets developers build their own Star Wars games inside the platform. “Storytelling today isn’t confined to a single screen — it lives in worlds fans can step into and shape together,” Sean Shoptaw, executive VP of Disney Games and Digital Entertainment, tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Our work with Epic reflects this shared belief. From The Mandalorian and Grogu Watch Party Island to the creator-built experiences launching on May 1, we’re excited to empower the Fortnite creator community to tell their own Star Wars stories for the first time …

Apple Asks Court to Pause App Store Fee Fight While It Petitions Supreme Court in Epic Games Case

Apple Asks Court to Pause App Store Fee Fight While It Petitions Supreme Court in Epic Games Case

Published by skeptic

Apple plans to ask the United States Supreme Court to weigh in on the App Store fee restrictions and contempt of court ruling levied against it in the ongoing Epic Games vs. Apple legal battle. In a filing on April 3 (via TechCrunch), Apple asked the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to hold off on a plan that would see the U.S. Northern District of California decide on a reasonable commission for Apple to charge developers for purchases made from a link in an app. Apple is concerned that the district court will decide on a fee, only to have the Supreme Court then reverse the ruling in its entirety. Apple says that it does not want to make multiple major changes to its ‌App Store‌ fee structure. Instead, Apple proposes that the current no-commission setup remain in place until Apple hears back from the Supreme Court. Developers can currently include links to non-App Store purchase options in their apps and Apple charges no fee from purchases made using those links. Apple wants to continue …

Epic Games to cut more than 1,000 jobs as Fortnite usage falls

Epic Games to cut more than 1,000 jobs as Fortnite usage falls

Published by Sam Flores

Epic Games said on Tuesday (Mar 24) it would cut more than 1,000 jobs after a drop in engagement for Fortnite, its flagship title, the latest cuts in the video-game industry whose growth has stalled amid economic uncertainty. The cuts, along with more than US$500 million in savings from lower contracting and marketing spending and unfilled roles would put the company in “a more stable place,” Chief Executive Tim Sweeney said in a note to employees. The cuts are the latest in the gaming sector, where companies have faced weaker growth as consumers have been sticking with proven titles amid economic uncertainty. But even those, especially live services games, which depend on a steady stream of new content to keep players engaged, are now showing signs of cracks. “We’ve had challenges delivering consistent Fortnite magic,” Sweeney said, adding “market conditions today are the most extreme” since the early days of the company founded in 1991. “The layoffs aren’t related to AI,” Sweeney noted amid industry worries the technology could replace video-game developers. Source link

Fortnite Studio Epic Games Lays Off 1,000 Staff Amid Downturn

Fortnite Studio Epic Games Lays Off 1,000 Staff Amid Downturn

Published by Daniella Wilson

Epic Games, the studio behind Fortnite, is slashing more than 1,000 jobs as it deals with a “downturn” in engagement with its flagship game. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney announced the cuts to staff Tuesday. “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. This layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place,” Sweeney wrote. “Some of the challenges we’re facing are industry-wide challenges: slower growth, weaker spending, and tougher cost economics; current consoles selling less than last generation’s; and games competing for time against other increasingly-engaging forms of entertainment.” Epic, of course, is a close partner of The Walt Disney Co., which invested $1.5 billion in the company two years ago, with plans to create a Fortnite-connected universe filled with Disney IP and characters. Disney characters have also made frequent appearances in limited edition Fortnite seasons. Sweeney is …

Epic Games cuts 1,000 jobs, says Fortnite engagement is down

Epic Games cuts 1,000 jobs, says Fortnite engagement is down

Published by skeptic

Epic Games is laying off 1,000 employees on Tuesday, according to a company memo that was posted on Epic’s blog. “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,” Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney wrote in the memo. “This layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place.” Last week, Epic also increased the price of V-Bucks, the Fortnite in-game currency, saying that “the cost of running Fortnite has gone up a lot.” Sweeney said that the layoffs were not caused by AI making developers’ jobs redundant. Indirectly, though, the company may be facing AI-related headwinds, since the RAM shortage and demand for chips have had ripple effects across the industry, and have also impacted consumer spending. Laid-off employees will get four months of severance pay, with more for people with longer tenures. Epic will continue paying for the …

Google settles with Epic Games, drops its Play Store commissions to 20%

Google settles with Epic Games, drops its Play Store commissions to 20%

Published by skeptic

Google is moving forward with a series of Play Store changes after settling a years-long legal battle with Fortnite maker Epic Games over anticompetitive concerns. The tech giant on Wednesday said it will drop its Play Store commissions to 20% on in-app purchases, with another 5% tacked on if app developers choose to use Google’s billing system. It’s also making it easier for users to install alternative app stores through a new optional program called the Registered App Stores program. “With these updates, we have also resolved our disputes worldwide with Epic Games,” Google said in a company blog post. The changes are part of a new settlement between the two tech rivals that will allow Epic Games to bring Fortnite back to the Google Play Store globally, while also investing in its own alternative app store, the Epic Games Store for Android. As part of the agreement, Google’s Registered App Stores program will offer a more streamlined installation flow for users who want to install apps from outside of Google Play. One of Epic’s …

Move over, Apple: Meet the alternative app stores available in the EU and elsewhere

Move over, Apple: Meet the alternative app stores available in the EU and elsewhere

Published by skeptic

People in the European Union are now allowed to access alternative app stores thanks to the Digital Markets Act (DMA), a regulation designed to foster increased competition in the app ecosystem. Like Apple’s App Store, alternative app marketplaces on allow for easy access to a wider world of apps on Apple devices, but instead of the apps going through Apple’s App Review process, the apps on these third-party marketplaces have to go through a notarization process to ensure they meet some “baseline platform integrity standards,” Apple says — like being malware-free. However, each store can review and approve apps according to its own policies. The stores are also responsible for any matters relating to support and refunds, not Apple.  To run an alternative app marketplace, developers must accept Apple’s alternative business terms for DMA-compliant apps in the EU. This includes paying a new Core Technology Fee of €0.50 for each first annual install of their marketplace app, even before the threshold of 1 million installs is met, which is the bar for other EU apps …