Fortnight Game Maker ‘Kills’ 82 Jobs in WA, Part of Big Workforce Reduction

One of the world's most popular games, especially among younger players, is Fortnight.  Much like the game itself, now the company is 'killing' off workers.

 Fortnight Dumps 82 WA Jobs, Part of Major Reduction

The game is won by eliminating, or killing off the competition, but it's not done in a gory fashion, instead, using the tools, you reduce your opponents 'health' to -0- to get rid of them.

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According to a WARN Alert from WA State Employement Security, as well as other sources, the parent company, Epic Games, is laying off nearly 1,000 workers worldwide, including 82 in Bellevue. The jobs in WA will be gone by the beginning of April.

According to sources, there's been a significant downtuwn in "engagement," meaning a lot less people are playing, therefore the company has to do some restructuring.

According to FOX 2 TV in San Francisco:

The layoffs are part of a broader cost-cutting initiative that also includes $500 million in “cost savings,” comprised of funds that had been earmarked for marketing and new positions."

The layoffs are not AI-related, said officials, but due to downturns in play, despite still having a robust presence in the game market. Their headquarters are in North Carolina, but they have satellite offices around the world, including Bellevue, WA.

Not the First Time The Company Has Cut Staff

Their last round of layoffs were in 2023, when they cut 813 workers.  Interestingly, two of the data centers who help manage operations of the game by way of Amazon Web Services and Microsoft Azure are in Quincy WA and The Dalles, Oregon.

Officials say the path forward is for them to develop new content and stories that best utilize the graphics 'game engines.'