History of Epic Games in Timeline
Epic Games, founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991 and later renamed Epic MegaGames, is an American video game and software developer and publisher. Known for its first commercial game ZZT (1991). Mark Rein joined as Vice President. The company relocated to Cary, North Carolina in 1999 and adopted the name Epic Games.
January 1991: ZZT Game Release
In January 1991, Tim Sweeney released his game ZZT to the public under the Potomac Computer Systems name.
1991: Potomac Computer Systems Founded
In 1991, Tim Sweeney founded Potomac Computer Systems as a computer consulting business while studying mechanical engineering at the University of Maryland.
1992: Epic MegaGames Founded and Expansion
In early 1992, Tim Sweeney renamed Potomac Computer Systems to Epic MegaGames. Mark Rein was hired to handle sales, marketing, and publishing. By this time, the company had 20 employees, including Cliff Bleszinski.
1992: Company Renamed Epic MegaGames
In early 1992, following the release of its first commercial video game, ZZT, Potomac Computer Systems was renamed Epic MegaGames, Inc. Mark Rein joined the company as vice president.
1996: Fire Fight Release
In 1996, Epic MegaGames produced Fire Fight, a shareware isometric shooter developed by Chaos Works and published by Electronic Arts.
1997: Epic MegaGames Workforce Size
By 1997, Epic MegaGames had 50 employees working for them worldwide.
1998: Unreal Release and Unreal Engine Licensing
In 1998, Epic MegaGames released Unreal, a 3D first-person shooter co-developed with Digital Extremes. The company also began licensing the Unreal Engine to other game developers.
February 1999: Headquarters Move and Name Change Announcement
In February 1999, Epic MegaGames announced the relocation of their headquarters to Cary, North Carolina, and their decision to be known as Epic Games.
1999: Headquarters Moved and Name Changed to Epic Games
In 1999, Epic MegaGames moved its headquarters to Cary, North Carolina, and changed its name to Epic Games.
2004: Make Something Unreal Competition Launched
In 2004, Epic Games launched the Make Something Unreal competition, aiming to reward video game developers who create mods using the Unreal game engine.
July 19, 2007: Silicon Knights sues Epic Games
On July 19, 2007, Canadian game studio Silicon Knights sued Epic Games, alleging failure to provide a working game engine and "sabotaging" Unreal Engine 3 licensees. Silicon Knights claimed Epic missed deadlines and withheld vital improvements to the engine.
August 2007: Epic Games counter-sues Silicon Knights
In August 2007, Epic Games counter-sued Silicon Knights, alleging the studio was aware certain Unreal Engine 3 features were still in development. Epic claimed Silicon Knights made unauthorized use of Epic's Licensed Technology and infringed intellectual property rights.
2008: Gears of War 2 Release
In 2008, Epic Games released Gears of War 2, which sold over three million copies within the first month of its release.
May 2009: ZZT Sales Update
As of May 2009, ZZT had sold several thousand copies, with orders still being fulfilled by Sweeney's father, Paul Sweeney, at the former Potomac Computer Systems address.
December 9, 2010: Infinity Blade Release
On December 9, 2010, Epic Games released Infinity Blade, an iOS game.
2011: Gears of War 3 Release
In 2011, Epic Games released Gears of War 3.
2011: Titan Studios Dissolved and Fortnite Announced
In 2011, Epic's subsidiary Titan Studios was dissolved. At the Spike Video Game Awards in 2011, Epic Games announced their new game Fortnite.
March 2012: Epic Games China Becomes Ying Pei Games
In March 2012, Epic Games China became independent from Epic as Ying Pei Games, while Epic retained a minority stake.
May 30, 2012: Epic Games wins counter-suit against Silicon Knights
On May 30, 2012, Epic Games defeated Silicon Knights' lawsuit and won its counter-suit for $4.45 million on grounds of copyright infringement, misappropriation of trade secrets, and breach of contract. The judge stated that Silicon Knights had "deliberately and repeatedly copied thousands of lines of Epic Games' copyrighted code".
June 2012: Epic Baltimore Studio Opening
In June 2012, Epic Games announced the opening of a new studio, Epic Baltimore, comprised of members of 38 Studios' Big Huge Games.
June 2012: Tencent Investment
In June 2012, Tencent acquired approximately 48.4% of Epic's then-issued share capital (equating to 40% of total Epic) for $330 million, allowing Epic to gain experience with the games-as-a-service model.
August 2012: Epic Baltimore Renamed Impossible Studios
In August 2012, Epic Baltimore was renamed Impossible Studios.
August 2012: Epic Games Acquires People Can Fly
In August 2012, Epic Games fully acquired People Can Fly.
November 7, 2012: Silicon Knights ordered to destroy Unreal Engine 3 derived game code
On November 7, 2012, Silicon Knights was directed by the court to destroy all game code derived from Unreal Engine 3, and to recall and destroy all unsold retail copies of games built with Unreal Engine 3 code, including Too Human, X-Men Destiny, The Sandman, The Box/Ritualyst, and Siren in the Maelstrom.
2012: Tencent Acquisition
In 2012, Tencent acquired a 48.4% outstanding stake (40% of total Epic) in Epic Games, aiming to transition Epic towards a games as a service model.
January 29, 2013: Epic Citadel Release for Android
On January 29, 2013, Epic Citadel was released for Android.
February 2013: Impossible Studios Closure
In February 2013, Impossible Studios closed its doors.
November 2013: Final ZZT Copy Shipped
In November 2013, the final copy of ZZT was shipped by Paul Sweeney.
May 16, 2014: Silicon Knights files for bankruptcy
On May 16, 2014, Silicon Knights filed for bankruptcy.
2014: Unreal Tournament Announcement
In 2014, Epic Games announced the free-to-play and community-developed Unreal Tournament.
2014: Unreal Engine Named "Most Successful Videogame Engine"
In 2014, the Unreal Engine was recognized by Guinness World Records as the "most successful videogame engine".
March 2015: Unreal Engine 4 Relicensing
In March 2015, Epic Games relicensed the Unreal Engine 4 engine to be free for all users to develop with, taking 5% royalties on games developed with the engine.
June 2015: Epic Games Poland's Departure
In June 2015, Epic Games agreed to allow Epic Games Poland's departure from the company and sold its shares in the studio; the studio reverted to their former name, People Can Fly.
2015: Shadow Complex Remastered and Robo Recall Release
In 2015, Epic Games released a remastered version of Shadow Complex for newer consoles and computers, and their first foray into virtual reality with the release of Robo Recall for the Oculus Rift.
2016: Paragon Launch
In 2016, Epic Games launched Paragon, a free-to-play multiplayer online battle arena game, for Microsoft Windows and PlayStation 4.
April 7, 2017: Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition Release
On April 7, 2017, People Can Fly launched Bulletstorm: Full Clip Edition, a remastered version of Bulletstorm, published by Gearbox Software. The Bulletstorm IP was retained by People Can Fly.
July 2017: Fortnite Early Access Launch
In July 2017, Epic launched Fortnite through a paid early access.
September 2017: Fortnite Battle Royale Release
In September 2017, Epic developed and released Fortnite Battle Royale as a free-to-play title across computer, console, and mobile platforms.
2017: Tim Sweeney questions digital storefront revenue sharing
As early as 2017, Tim Sweeney had questioned the 30% revenue sharing cut taken by digital storefronts like Steam, the iOS App Store, and Google Play, arguing that an 8% cut should be sufficient.
2017: Fortnite Battle Royale Release
Following the popularity of other battle royale games, in 2017 Epic Games released Fortnite Battle Royale, leading to additional investments and expansion of their Unreal Engine offerings.
2017: Disney Accelerator Program Participation
In 2017, Epic Games was selected as one of eleven companies to participate in the Disney Accelerator program. This provided Epic with equity investment, access to Disney executives, and potential opportunities to collaborate with Disney in the future. Disney identified Epic as a potential leader in the growing esports arena in 2017.
January 2018: Acquisition of Cloudgine
In January 2018, Epic Games acquired Cloudgine, a developer of cloud-based gaming software.
May 2018: Fortnite Battle Royale Player Count
By May 2018, Fortnite Battle Royale had amassed over 125 million players.
July 2018: Fortnite Battle Royale Revenue and Valuation
By July 2018, Fortnite Battle Royale had earned over $1 billion through microtransactions, and Epic Games was estimated to be worth $4.5 billion.
July 2018: Unreal Engine Marketplace Revenue Cut Reduction
In July 2018, Epic Games reduced the revenue cut for assets sold on the Unreal Engine Marketplace from 30% to 12%.
October 2018: $1.25 Billion Investment and Valuation
In October 2018, Epic Games acquired $1.25 billion in investment from seven firms: KKR, ICONIQ Capital, Smash Ventures, aXiomatic, Vulcan Capital, Kleiner Perkins, and Lightspeed Venture Partners. With the investment, Epic Games was estimated to have a nearly $15 billion valuation in October 2018.
October 2018: Acquisition of Kamu (Easy Anti-Cheat)
In October 2018, Epic Games announced the acquisition of Kamu, a firm that offered anti-cheat software called Easy Anti-Cheat.
December 4, 2018: Epic Games Store announcement
On December 4, 2018, Epic Games announced the Epic Games Store, an open digital storefront for games on Windows. The Epic Games Store would take 12% of revenues from game sales, as well as foregoing the 5% for games developed in the Unreal Engine.
January 2019: Acquisition of 3Lateral and Agog Labs
In January 2019, Epic Games acquired 3Lateral and Agog Labs. 3Lateral is known for its "digital human" creations, and Agog had developed SkookumScript, a platform for scripting events in video games.
January 2019: Improbable Partnership and Developer Fund Launch
In January 2019, Epic Games partnered with Improbable to launch a $25 million fund. This fund aimed to assist developers affected by changes to the Unity game engine's acceptable uses, offering solutions with more open and fewer service compatibilities.
February 2019: $100 Million Fortnite Esports Prize Pool
In February 2019, Epic Games announced a $100 million prize pool for Fortnite-related esports activities planned for 2019 and onward.
March 2019: Fortnite Player Count
As of March 2019, Fortnite had drawn nearly 250 million players.
May 2019: Hiring of Nate Nanzer from Overwatch League
In May 2019, Epic Games hired Nate Nanzer, formerly the commissioner of the Overwatch League from Blizzard Entertainment, to expand its esports initiatives.
May 2019: Acquisition of Psyonix (Rocket League Developer)
In May 2019, Epic acquired Psyonix, the developer of Rocket League. Psyonix had a history with Epic, having contributed to Unreal Tournament.
May 2019: Acquisition of Twinmotion Visualization Tool
In May 2019, Epic acquired the Twinmotion visualization tool, used in architectural design, from Abvent, with plans to expand and incorporate it into their Unreal Engine offerings.
June 2019: British Academy of Film and Television Arts Special Award
In June 2019, Epic Games was awarded the British Academy of Film and Television Arts Special Award for its past and continuing developments for the Unreal Engine.
June 2019: Acquisition of Life on Air (Houseparty Developers)
In June 2019, Epic acquired Life on Air, the developers behind Houseparty, a social networking service. The monetary terms of the acquisition were not disclosed.
July 2019: MegaGrants Funding for Blender Foundation
In July 2019, the Blender Foundation received $1.2 million from Epic Games' MegaGrants funding. This funding was intended to help improve and professionalize Blender tools for 3D art creation.
November 2019: Acquisition of Quixel
In November 2019, Epic acquired Quixel, a photogrammetry asset library. Epic plans to open Quixel's existing library of models to users of Unreal Engine.
2019: Epic supports filmmakers using Unreal Engine
Since 2019, Epic Games has been providing support for filmmakers who use the Unreal Engine to create virtual sets for productions, such as The Mandalorian, and will be backing major animated feature film production using Unreal, starting with Gilgamesh with studios Hook Up, DuermeVela and FilmSharks.
January 1, 2020: Unreal License Fees Waived Retroactively
Epic Games waived all Unreal license fees retroactively from January 1, 2020, for games up through the first $1 million in revenue, regardless of how they were published.
March 2020: Establishment of Epic Games Publishing
In March 2020, Epic Games announced the establishment of a new multi-platform publishing label, Epic Games Publishing, along with deals with Remedy Entertainment, Playdead, and GenDesign. Epic would fully fund development and publishing for one or more games from each studio, while granting full creative control and IP rights to the studios, and sharing profits 50/50 after recouping its investment.
March 2020: Acquisition of Cubic Motion
In March 2020, Epic acquired Cubic Motion, a studio that provides highly detailed digital facial animations for both films and video games.
March 2020: Accusations of Hacking via Houseparty App
In late March 2020, accusations arose on social media claiming that the Epic Games' Houseparty app led to the hacking of other services like Netflix and Spotify, which Epic denied, offering a $1 million bounty to anyone who could substantiate the claims.
May 13, 2020: Unreal Engine 5 Announcement and Epic Online Services Release
On May 13, 2020, Unreal Engine 5 was announced, with plans for an early 2022 release. Epic also released Epic Online Services, a free SDK toolset for online matchmaking and cross-platform play support features based on Fortnite.
May 2020: Epic Online Services release
In May 2020, Epic Online Services, a free SDK based on Epic's Fortnite code, was first released for all developers. This SDK allowed developers to implement cross-platform play features in their games, including matchmaking, friends lists, leaderboards, and achievements, with support for various platforms.
May 2020: Sony Investment Talks Following Unreal Engine 5 Demo
In May 2020, following the demonstration of Unreal Engine 5, Sony began talks with Epic Games about investing in the company. This led to a $250 million investment from Sony later in July and August.
June 2020: Nearing $17 Billion Valuation and "Movie Nite" on Fortnite
In June 2020, Bloomberg reported that Epic Games was nearing a $17 billion valuation after completing a new $750 million investing round. Epic partnered with Christopher Nolan and Warner Bros. to acquire distribution rights for Inception, Batman Begins, and The Prestige for "Movie Nite" on Fortnite's "Party Royale" island.
August 13, 2020: Epic Games updates Fortnite and files lawsuits against Apple and Google
On August 13, 2020, Epic Games updated Fortnite across all platforms to offer a 20% discount on V-Bucks purchased directly from Epic. Apple and Google then removed Fortnite from their storefronts, and Epic immediately filed lawsuits against Apple and Google for antitrust and anticompetitive behavior.
August 28, 2020: Apple to terminate Epic's developer accounts
On August 28, 2020, Apple responded to the lawsuit that it would terminate Epic's developer accounts.
September 2020: Epic acquires SuperAwesome
In September 2020, Epic Games acquired SuperAwesome, a company specializing in developing services that ensure children-safe games and game-related services. This acquisition aimed to integrate these safety features into Epic's offerings and provide them to other developers, particularly those creating games aligned with Epic's metaverse vision.
September 2020: Epic Games launches Coalition for App Fairness
In September 2020, Epic Games, along with thirteen other companies, launched the Coalition for App Fairness, aimed at improving conditions for app inclusion in app stores.
November 2020: Epic acquires Hyprsense
In November 2020, Epic Games acquired Hyprsense, a company specializing in digital facial animation technology.
2020: Fall Guys' success
In 2020, Mediatonic's game, Fall Guys, achieved major success.
January 2021: Epic acquires RAD Game Tools
In January 2021, Epic Games acquired RAD Game Tools, a company known for creating middleware solutions for video game development. Epic planned to integrate RAD's tools into the Unreal Engine, while also keeping them available for use outside of Unreal.
January 2021: Purchase of Cary Towne Center for New Headquarters
In January 2021, Epic Games purchased the Cary Towne Center in Cary, North Carolina, to be converted into their new headquarters and campus. The conversion was expected to be completed by 2024.
February 2021: Unveiling of MetaHuman Creator Project
In February 2021, Epic Games unveiled its MetaHuman Creator project. This browser-based application, based on technology from 3Lateral, Cubic Motion, and Quixel, allows game developers to create realistic human characters quickly, starting from various presets, and then export them as pre-made models and animation files for use in Unreal Engine.
March 2021: Partnership with Cesium for 3D Geospatial Data
In March 2021, Epic Games announced a partnership with Cesium to bring its 3D geospatial data as a free add-on into the Unreal Engine.
March 2021: Epic acquires Tonic Games Group and Capturing Reality
In March 2021, Epic Games announced the acquisition of Tonic Games Group, including developers Mediatonic and Fortitude Games. Epic also acquired Capturing Reality, the developers of RealityCapture, a photogrammetry software, with plans to integrate RealityCapture into the Unreal Engine. Fall Guys, from Mediatonic, would remain available on Steam.
April 2021: Epic acquires ArtStation
In April 2021, Epic Games acquired ArtStation, a marketplace for professional artists. As part of the acquisition, ArtStation members gained access to Epic's tools and support such as the Unreal Engine, while the ArtStation marketplace reduced its take on purchases from 30% to 12%.
April 2021: $1 Billion Funding Round for Metaverse Vision
In April 2021, Epic Games completed another $1 billion round of funding to support the company's "long-term vision for the metaverse", bringing the company's valuation to $28.7 billion. The funding included a $200 million strategic investment from Sony.
June 2021: Epic Online Services update
In June 2021, Epic Online Services was updated to include support for anti-cheat and voice chat features.
July 2021: Epic acquires Sketchfab
In July 2021, Epic Games acquired Sketchfab, a marketplace for 3D models. Similar to the ArtStation acquisition, Sketchfab reduced its pricing structure, lowering its revenue cut on purchases to 12% and making their Sketchfab Plus level of membership free.
September 10, 2021: First Ruling on Epic Games v. Apple
On September 10, 2021, Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers ruled in favor of Apple on nine of ten counts in Epic Games v. Apple, but issued an injunction against Apple's anti-steering provisions, preventing them from blocking developers from linking to other storefronts from within apps.
October 2021: Expansion of Publishing Options with Spry Fox and Eyes Out
In October 2021, Epic Games expanded their publishing options by partnering with Spry Fox and Eyes Out.
October 2021: Houseparty App Shuttered
In October 2021, Epic later shuttered Houseparty's app, though the team behind it was continuing to develop social apps for Epic's platforms.
October 2021: Launch of Scripted Entertainment Division and Fortnite Film Plans
In October 2021, The Information reported that Epic Games was launching a new scripted entertainment division, bringing on three former executives from Lucasfilm to manage it, with initial plans for a Fortnite film.
November 2021: Epic acquires Harmonix
In November 2021, Epic Games acquired Harmonix, a music game developer. Harmonix continued to support their existing games including Rock Band 4 and Fuser while building out Fortnite's musical experiences.
February 2022: Half a Billion Accounts Created on Epic Games Platform
In February 2022, Epic Games announced that at least half a billion accounts have been created on its platform.
March 2022: Epic acquires Bandcamp
In March 2022, Epic Games acquired the indie music platform Bandcamp. Bandcamp was expected to operate independently under Epic while leveraging Epic's backend services.
April 2022: Equity Valuation
As of April 2022, Epic Games had an equity valuation of US$32 billion.
April 2022: $1 Billion Investments from Sony and Kirkbi, Metaverse Partnership with Lego
In April 2022, Epic Games received another $1 billion each from Sony and Kirkbi, the parent company of The Lego Group, for continued support of building out Epic's metaverse. These investments gave Kirkbi 3% ownership and increased Sony's to 4.9%. Epic and Lego also announced their partnership to build a child-friendly space in the metaverse in April 2022.
April 2022: Release of RealityScan Beta Version
In April 2022, Epic Games released the initial beta version of RealityScan, a mobile app that utilizes tools from Capturing Reality and Quixel to create 3D models from user-taken photos, which can then be imported into Sketchfab.
September 2022: Epic and Autodesk partner for Twinmotion availability
In September 2022, Epic Games and Autodesk partnered to make Twinmotion available to Revit subscribers.
December 2022: Epic Games Fined $520 Million by FTC
In December 2022, Epic Games was fined $520 million by the Federal Trade Commission (FTC) for violating COPPA related to children's privacy in Fortnite and for misleading users into making unwanted purchases.
April 2023: Epic acquires Aquiris Game Studio
In April 2023, Epic Games acquired Brazilian developer Aquiris Game Studio, developer of Horizon Chase, and rebranded it as Epic Games Brasil, with the intent to integrate it into Fortnite.
September 2023: Layoffs and Divestments
In September 2023, Epic Games laid off 870 employees, divested in Bandcamp to Songtradr, and spun off SuperAwesome into its own company. According to Sweeney, these actions were required to reduce expenses, and further layoffs were not anticipated.
September 2023: Epic sells Bandcamp to Songtradr
In September 2023, Epic Games sold Bandcamp to music licensing company Songtradr.
December 2023: Fortnite Festival mode launched
In December 2023, Fortnite's musical experiences expanded with the addition of the Fortnite Festival mode, which mimicked the note-matching gameplay of Rock Band.
December 2023: Launch of Rocket Racing in Fortnite
In December 2023, Psyonix developed an arcade-style car racing game called Rocket Racing inside of Fortnite, which was added to the game.
December 2023: Jury Finds Google Maintained Monopoly on Android Marketplace
In December 2023, a jury found Google maintained a monopoly on the Android marketplace by managing the Play Store and leveraging its position to make deals with partners.
January 2024: Second Phase of Google Trial Scheduled
In January 2024, a second phase of the trial between Epic and Google is scheduled to occur to determine remedies related to Google's monopolistic practices on the Android marketplace.
February 7, 2024: $1.5 Billion Investment from The Walt Disney Company
On February 7, 2024, Epic Games received a $1.5 billion investment from The Walt Disney Company. Pending regulatory approval, Disney will acquire a 9% stake. Disney plans to co-develop new games and an "entertainment universe" encompassing its properties with Epic. This includes bringing more Disney properties to Fortnite, including classic animated characters and those from Pixar.
July 2024: Potential Labor Strike by SAG-AFTRA
In July 2024, the Screen Actors Guild-American Federation of Television and Radio Artists (SAG-AFTRA) initiated a labor strike against a number of video publishers, including Epic Games. Concerns raised involved the lack of A.I. protections related to video game actors, including the use of A.I. to replicate an actor’s voice or create a digital replica of their likeness.
October 22, 2024: Launch of Fab Marketplace
On October 22, 2024, Epic launched Fab, a unified marketplace for Unreal Engine Marketplace, Sketchfab, ArtStation Marketplace, and Quixel assets.
December 6, 2024: Revocation of Zoning Application for Cary Towne Center
On December 6, 2024, the Town of Cary revoked Epic's zoning application for the Cary Towne Center, declaring it "inactive" after no further actions were taken.
December 2024: Epic Games Settles with FTC for $245 Million
In December 2024, Epic Games settled with the FTC, agreeing to pay $245 million related to the use of dark patterns to drive users to buy V-bucks in Fortnite, with $72 million being issued as refunds.
January 2025: Epic Games Store launch on Android and iOS in Europe
In January 2025, Epic Games opened a version of the Epic Games Store for Android devices worldwide and for iOS devices in Europe as a result of legal victories, one based on its suit against Google, and the second from the European Union's enforcement of remedies towards Apple under the Digital Markets Act.
April 2025: Rogers ruled in Epic's favor, Epic Games Store coming back to iOS
In April 2025, Judge Rogers ruled that Apple's changes to third-party storefront policies were not sufficient and blocked Apple from taking fees from third-party stores, leading Epic to announce the Epic Games Store would return to iOS within a week.
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