Fortnite Jonesy creator among devs sharing heartbreaking posts after Epic Games layoffs

The creator of the iconic Jonesy in Fortnite is among those to have posted heartbreaking statements on social media after being among the workers at Epic Games to be laid off.

More than 1,000 staff have been affected with a "downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025" cited as the main reason in a note sent to all employees by Epic Games founder and CEO Tim Sweeney.

The note said: "This layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place.

"Since it's a thing now, I should note that the layoffs aren't related to AI. To the extent it improves productivity, we want to have as many awesome developers developing great content and tech as we can."

Those affected will "receive a severance package that includes at least four months of base pay, with more based on tenure".

And a number of those affected are workers responsible for delivering some of Fortnite's most revered content, including the creator of Jonesy.

Posting on LinkedIn, former director of character art at Epic Games Vitaliy Naymushin said: "Well this is weird. After 11 years I find that I no longer work at Epic. It's been a wild ride, lots of ups and downs. Seeing Fortnite from pre-launch to today and being a part of making that happen was an experience of a lifetime. Seeing lots of similar posts out there and I hope that everyone impacted by the layoff lands on their feet."

He's just one of a number of employees who have confirmed they have been laid off by Epic Games and are now looking for work.

Steve Danuser, former narrative director at Epic Games, said: "Rough day. Thanks for all the kind thoughts and mentions. I want to say that since my arrival on the Fortnite team, the game's story community has been nothing but stellar towards me. You all made me feel very welcome. It was fun being part of an amazing team of storytellers."

On LinkedIn, Nik Blahunka, former lead writer at Epic Games, said: "After 10+ years, I've joined the latest layoff graduating class from Epic Games. It has been a delight and a genuine joy to work with such a talented group of artists, writers and creative developers. I will miss it."

Paige Dugre, former environment art and environment concept producer at Epic Games, said: "I was laid off today after two years at Epic Games.

"If you enjoyed the maps in C7S2 or C6S3, The Simpsons mini-season map, or IP collabs like KPOP Demon Hunters, Superman, South Park, Doja Cat and more, I was the lead environment art and / or environment concept producer for them."

Stephen Thompson, former marketing manager at Epic Games, said: "Unfortunately, my role was impacted. Seven years on Fortnite now wrapped up. Lots of good people looking for new jobs today."

George Sokol, former senior environment artist at Epic Games, said: "Sadly I was impacted by today's layoffs at Epic. Still processing as I just found out like 20 minutes ago."

Devin Connors, previously in community management there, said: "Nine and a half years later, and my time with Psyonix and Epic has come to an end. ⚽️🏎️ Thanks to those who have reached out already ♥️ Don't worry, I'll be ok. I'm going to enjoy some well-deserved downtime for now."

Alex Muir, former senior QA tester at Epic Games, said: "Hey y'all... Ya so I got laid off too from Fortnite Festival. All I've ever wanted to do was make cool games for people that help them feel a little bit better or happier in their day... It's so sad that it's this hard to do just that."

Carson French, former audio director at Psyonix, said: "Nearly seven years of fun working on the sound of Rocket League and all of the trailers. Sad to go, will miss y'all."

And Ryley Forwood, former senior QA tester and QA analyst at Epic Games, said: "I lost my dream job today in these layoffs. If anyone can help with leads for QA work or even just wants to chat and catch up, please reach out. My DMs are open. My whole team was impacted. Look out for them, too. What a horrible day."

These are just a mere handful of those affected who previously worked at Epic Games and to have posted about their job loss on social media.

It was also confirmed Rocket Racing will go offline in October with Ballistic and Festival Battle Stage both becoming unavailable on 16 April.

Indy100 has contacted Epic Games for further details

Elsewhere from indy100:

• Fortnite: All of the celebrities that have Icons in the game
• Microsoft and Xbox layoffs down to three key reasons and could get even worse, thinks gaming expert

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