Epic Games, founded in 1991 by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems, is an American video game and software developer and publisher based in Cary, North Carolina. Originally located in Potomac, Maryland, the company became Epic MegaGames in 1992 before rebranding as Epic Games in 1999 after moving its headquarters. Sweeney remains the CEO. Mark Rein has been the company's Vice President since 1992. Other key executives include Kim Libreri (CTO), Randy Gelber (Chief Strategy Officer), and Monika Fahlbusch (Chief People Officer). Epic Games is known for developing Unreal Engine, a commercially available game engine that powers many of its own games, including Fortnite, Gears of War, and the Unreal series. In 2014, Unreal Engine was named the "most successful videogame engine" by Guinness World Records.
Epic Games operates Fortnite, one of the world's largest games, boasting over 800 million accounts and billions of friend connections across its various titles. Besides game development, Epic runs the Epic Games Store, a digital storefront for PC and Mac games, and provides Epic Online Services for developers. In 2024, Epic Games generated an estimated $5.7 billion in revenue. As of 2025, Steam holds the majority of the PC digital distribution market share at approximately 74-75%, while the Epic Games Store holds around 3% when measured by third-party revenue. Recent news includes Epic refuting claims about banning the indie horror game Horses from its store and requiring security measures like Secure Boot and TPM for Fortnite tournaments. In February 2024, Disney invested $1.5 billion in Epic Games to create an expansive games and entertainment universe connected to Fortnite.
