Sarah Jacobson 
Epic Games is an American video game developer based in Cary, North Carolina. The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally located in his parents’ basement. Following his first commercial video game release, ZZT (1991), the company became Epic MegaGames, Inc. in early 1992 and brought on Mark Rein, who is the company’s vice president today.
Background
Epic Games develops and publishes games for personal computers, mobile devices, and consoles, including the Unreal Engine—a commercially successful game engine that has powered some of the most popular video games ever created, such as Fortnite Battle Royale, Gears of War, Infinity Blade, and Paragon. The company also owns and operates several gaming services, including the Epic Games Store—a digital distribution platform for personal computer games that offers a 88% revenue share to game developers.
The company was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, originally developing for the ZX Spectrum. After releasing one game under that brand, ZZT (1991), Epic MegaGames was formed in early 1992 by Sweeney and Mark Rein, who had been friends since kindergarten. At the time, Sweeney was working on an action RPG named Spyglass Warrior, which would later evolve into the ZZT-influenced role-playing game Dungeon Explorer (1992).
Epic MegaGames released its first shareware title, Jill of the Jungle, in 1992. Although commercially unsuccessful, it was a critical success andEpic began to focus on developing shareware games. The company’s first hits came in the form of the side-scrolling platformers Epic Pinball (1993) and Jazz Jackrabbit (1994), which were published by EA. In 1995, Epic MegaGames produced a sequel to Jazz Jackrabbit, entitled Jazz Jackrabbit 2. It was Epic’s first game to be published by a major company, and it marked the beginning of a long-standing relationship with Apogee Software (now 3D Realms).
Epic Games developed several other games over the next few years before releasing Unreal in 1998. unreal was a critical and commercial success, and the company followed it up with the multiplayer shooter Unreal Tournament in 1999. In 2000, Epic released the first installment of the Gears of War franchise. The series would go on to be one of the most successful franchises in Xbox history.
Epic Games has continued to release new games and updates for existing franchises over the years, including Fortnite (2017), Infinity Blade (2018), and Robo Recall (2018). The company has also ventured into other businesses, such as film production (with the release of the feature film Gears of War in 2006) and consumer products (with the launch of Epic Games Store in 2018).
Epic games developer
Epic Games is one of the most successful video game companies in the world, with a number of critically acclaimed and commercially successful titles to its name. Here are some interesting facts and information about Epic Games:
- Epic Games was founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991.
- The company’s first game was ZZT (1991), released under the Potomac Computer Systems brand.
- Epic MegaGames was formed in early 1992 by Sweeney and Mark Rein, who had been friends since kindergarten.
- The company’s first hits came in the form of the side-scrolling platformers Epic Pinball (1993) and Jazz Jackrabbit (1994).
- Unreal (1998) was a critical and commercial success, and the company followed it up with the multiplayer shooter Unreal Tournament (1999).
- In 2000, Epic released the first installment of the Gears of War franchise.
- Epic Games has continued to release new games and updates for existing franchises over the years, including Fortnite (2017), Infinity Blade (2018), and Robo Recall (2018).
- The company has also ventured into other businesses, such as film production (with the release of the feature film Gears of War in 2006) and consumer products (with the launch of Epic Games Store in 2018).
- As of May 2020, Epic Games is valued at $17.3 billion.
- Tim Sweeney is the current CEO of Epic Games.
- Cliff Bleszinski, who was the design director for Gears of War, left Epic Games in 2012.
- In 2018, Epic Games acquired Rocket League developer Psyonix.
- In 2019, Epic Games acquired Shadow Complex and Spyjinx developer Chair Entertainment.
- As of May 2020, Epic Games has a workforce of around 2,500 people.
- The company’s headquarters is located in Cary, North Carolina, United States.
