Sergiy Galyonkin, Epic Games’ director of publishing, has announced he’s leaving – “I am not a good fit for this new version of Epic,” he writes.
Epic Games’ director of publishing, Sergiy Galyonkin, has announced that he’s to leave the company after eight years.
In a 2 October post on Twitter (also known as X), Galyonkin wrote, “Today is officially my last day at Epic Games. These eight years have been some of the most exciting in my career, and I am deeply grateful to my former Epic Games colleagues and Tim Sweeney [CEO] for allowing me to help build Epic 4.0.”
Galyonkin went on to express his gratitude for the $144 million aid donation Epic Games sent to Ukraine following the Russian invasion last year; “While I wasn’t always polite during those discussions,” he wrote, “I will forever be grateful.”
The most striking part of Galyonkin’s departure note, though, is his distinction between what he describes as “Epic 4.0” – the period in which Fortnite was established as one of the biggest and most profitable live service games in the world – and what is, his estimation, a different incarnation altogether.
“Now, Epic Games is on its way to transforming from a game developer, engine creator, and publisher into a platform – Epic 5.0. I am not a good fit for this new version of Epic; it requires people of a different kind.”
Galyonkin’s announcement comes mere days after Epic announced that 830 employees – equating to 16 percent of its work force – are to be laid off.
In a statement, CEO Tim Sweeney said that the business was “spending way more money” than it earned, specifically in building a “metaverse-inspired ecosystem for creators.”
Of those layoffs, Sweeney wrote, “We’re ok with the schedule tradeoff if it means holding on to our ability to achieve our goals, get to the other side of profitability and become a leading metaverse company.”
Perhaps its this metaverse company that Galyonkin was referring to when he talked about Epic 5.0.
Although Galyonkin doesn’t specify where he’s off to next, he says he’ll “remain in the gaming industry.”
“I also hope to be more vocal now that I don’t have to worry about the PR department knocking on my DMs,” he adds.
