Everything You Need To Know About Epic Games
So, what is Epic Games?
Epic Games, Inc. is an American software developer, video game, and publisher, and it is based in Cary, North Carolina. The man behind this project was Tim Sweeney. He founded Potomac Computer Systems in 1991, and at that time, the company was based in his parent’s house in Potomac, Maryland. In the first year, he launched the first commercial video game named ZZT (1991).
In the second year of the company, the name changed to Epic MegaGames, Inc. This is the same year when Mark Rein was brought to the company, and he has been vice president of the company since then. The company changed its headquarters to Cary in 1999 and launched the Epic Games launcher.
Let’s learn more about Epic Games.
Company Overview
Here is the basic information about Epic Games.
Company Profile
| Company Name | Epic Games, Inc. |
| Founded | 1991 |
| Founders | Tim Sweeney |
| Industry | Video games |
| Type | Private |
| Headquarters | Cary, North Carolina, United States |
| Key People | ⦿ CEO- Tim Sweeney ⦿ CTO- Kim Liberi ⦿ VP- Mark Rein ⦿ President- Adam Sussman ⦿ CCO- Donald Mustard |
| Area Served | Worldwide |
| Products | FortniteUnreal EngineEpic Games StoresBink VideoGear of War SeriesUnreal Series |
| Employee Number | 2,200+ |
| Revenue | ~$7.5 billion |
| Website | epicgames.com |
Potomac Computer Systems
The company was started by Tim Sweeney in 1991. At the time of founding Epic Games, Sweeney was a student at the University of Maryland, where he was studying mechanical engineering. He used to work in his leisure time. At his parent’s house, he started Potomac Computer Systems.
The first video game was ZZT. The success of the first video game was unexpected. Then he modified the game by reprogramming the language. This was the time when the company became a video game company. ZZT was in the market till 2009. The final copy of the game was released in 2013, and then it ended.
Epic MegaGames
In 1992, the name of the company changed to Epic MegaGames. Then Sweeney entered into a new market of id Software and Apogee Software. Once the company started to explore in video game field, it was the dominating company. Then the company acquired Mark Rein. In those days, Rein used to work remotely. He also contributed a lot to the growth of the company.
In the years 1993-94 period, there were around 20 employees. And there was a 17-year-old boy named Cliff Bleszinski who started contributing to the company. In 1996, the company launched another game named Fire Fight. It was a shooting game, and in those days, a shooting game was rare. Electronic Arts published the game. Later in 1998, the company released Unreal. This was a first-person shooting game that was in 3D. Then it started to build Unreal Games.
Epic Games
The company again changed its name to Epic Games in 1999. This was the time when people used to buy personal computers. And the company focused on creating personal computer games. So, the headquarters changed to Cary, North Carolina. Now, the fun part started to begin as there were developers from different locations of the world who used to create games for the company. And the company would give prizes for that, and there was a winner who won $80,000.
Console Games and Gears Of War
In 2006, there was a problem in the market of copyright infringement. There were also other problems like software privacy, pirated versions of games, and others. So, the company launched Epic 3.0 to resolve issues and then launched Gears of War. And Epic Games made more than $100 million with an investment of $12 million only.
Tencent and Games as a Service
After 2010, the gaming industry changed. And there was a shift to a games-as-a-service model. This was the reason the company made an agreement with Tencent to explore its Gaas experience. After that, the company launched Riot Games. Around this point, the company had around 200 employees. When the company merged with Tencent, there were high-profile employees who left the company.
Fortnite
By the year 2017, the company released Fortnite so that everyone could play the game. There were other successes as well, such as Battle Royale and PlayerUnknown’s Battlegrounds. This was the time when the company made a huge revenue from all these games.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs):-
Here are some interesting questions and answers that most people ask about Epic Games.
Ans: – When it comes to the employees who work in Epic Games, they are more than satisfied with almost every factor. These factors might be stock, pay, benefit, or equity. So, if we go to overall things, then Epic Games are satisfied with their team. Recently, there was a survey, and the ratings were quite good for other companies.
Ans: The company started business from the year 1991, and at that time, the name of the company was Potomac Computer Systems. The man behind the whole project is Tim Sweeney. The company is located in the parent’s house in Potomac, Maryland. Now, there are mainly four owners where Tim Sweeney has more than 50%, Tencent has around 40%, there is also Sony which has 4.9%, and Kirkbi owns 3% of the company. I hope now you know who owns Epic Games.
Ans: First of all, the company has completed more than 30 years. And yes, the company makes a lot of money. In the year 2018, the company made more than $5.6 billion. But the company had to face a loss in 2019, the revenue was only $4.2 billion. So, the profit margin became low, also the company reinvested the substantial part again. The main investment was in Unreal Engine and Fortnite. Then the company started to sell different games from its own Epic Games Stores.
Final Words
Epic Games is one of the gaming companies that are on the Unicorn list. The company is also known for acquiring other companies as well. One of the criticisms that Epic Games has to face is its relationship with Tencent. Also, the company is one of the oldest to be on the Unicorn’s list.
I hope you will find this article interesting. If so, then please share and give your feedback.Thank You.
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Mashum Mollah is the feature writer of Search Engine Magazine and an SEO Analyst at Real Wealth Business. Over the last 3 years, He has successfully developed and implemented online marketing, SEO, and conversion campaigns for 50+ businesses of all sizes. He is the co-founder of Social Media Magazine.
