It has been a bad couple of weeks for the video games industry, as while we are set to enter one of the busiest periods of the year when it comes to game releases, hundreds of game developers have been let go from a wide range of different studios. One of the biggest offenders has been Epic Games – laying off 830 employees last week. Now, the director of publishing strategy – Sergiy Galyonkin – has also confirmed his departure.
Making the announcement on Twitter, Sergiy Galyonkin released a statement, saying “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 for allowing me to help build Epic 4.0.”
Galyonkin then spoke on the many changes which have occurred over the course of his tenure, including the highly successful launch of Fortnite and the changing of Epic’s revenue split.
Discussing his reasons for leaving the company, Galyonkin continued: “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. I plan to 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.”
It is interesting to see the specific wording used, stating that he is “not a good fit for this new version of Epic” and that he will now be more vocal overall. While merely speculation, it seems as though the tremendous growth seen by Epic over the past half a decade has understandably altered the way the company operates, and so perhaps Galyonkin wishes to go back to his roots. It will be curious to see what he does next.
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KitGuru says: What do you think of all the recent departures? Is it a symptom of larger issues in the industry? Let us know your thoughts down below.