I left Epic
Today was my last day at Epic Games.
I haven’t written a ton about career stuff here, so for context: I previously worked at Harmonix Music Systems for thirteen years, from August 2008 until its acquisition by Epic in November 2021; I then worked at Epic for another four years from November 2021 until, well, just now.
I’m not sure I ever quite fit in at Epic. I was happy enough for a while, as I still mainly worked with Harmonix people on Harmonix-like projects (check out Fortnite Festival if you haven’t!). But as Epic’s own values and priorities gradually seeped in, I began to grow alienated. I didn’t want that feeling to corrode my passion for my work or to hold back my team, and so I decided it was time I moved on.
There is another reason: acquisition aside, seventeen years is a long time to stay in one place! Even if things were going swimmingly, I suspect I’d be itching to move on by now and try something else. In particular, one thing I’ve learned at Epic is that my heart is not in big live service games; over the past few years I’ve felt a growing urge to make something smaller that is all my own, and to do that I needed to leave.
It’s not lost on me that it’s a frightening time to willingly give up any job, not least one in as competitive an industry as video games. Pursuing indie development instead is, of course, even more risky. Nevertheless, that’s what I’m going to do! It’s something I’ve always wanted to try, and if I don’t seize the opportunity while I can I know I’ll regret it.
All my best to my former colleagues, who I know will continue to do great work at Epic. I’ll be writing more about what I’m up to soon!