Epic never left game development, says founder Tim Sweeney

In recent years many have speculated that Epic Games, creator of the Unreal Engine and developer of Gears of War, is moving away from game development. The long absence of free-to-play game Fortnite only added fuel to the fire. That game has now re-emerged, and Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney has assured fans that the company never left game development.

In a new interview with Edge Sweeney states that Epic is working on a "high-end next generation title" and a mobile game, as well as Fortnite.

"You look at what’s on people’s radars right now then you might say ‘Epic’s going to just be an engine company now,'" says Sweeney. "But you can look back at 2006 or 2008 or 2011, you might have said ‘Epic’s going to just be a games company now’ – it’s just constantly pingponging back between those two."

"The industry’s changing -- this generation it seems like there are about a third of the number of triple-A titles in development across the industry as there was last time around," says Sweeney. "Each one seems to have about three times the budget of the previous generation. I think we’re heading towards a future where triple-A is the minority."

Thanks, Gamasutra.