The recent wave of layoffs at Epic Games has also affected a developer responsible for one of the most popular maps of Fortnite. Fans are angry.
Who is it about? Epic Games laid off 1,000 employees on March 24. Among those dismissed was Paige Dugre, who worked as an Associate Producer for about 2 years at the company.
Dugre claimed to have been the lead developer in the “Environment Art” section, responsible for the maps of C7S2 and C6S3, as well as for the map from the Simpsons Season that was very popular among Fortnite players.
The Simpsons map was so popular that, for example, on Reddit, some players asked whether there was a way to explore the map outside of Battle Royale. They would like to check out the many details and Easter eggs at their leisure. A corresponding post gathered over 6,300 upvotes.
In the video, you can see what made the Simpsons Season so special:
Fans are furious after the wave of layoffs
The community reacts: Many players are angry, writing that the money they spend on skins is apparently used for collaborations instead of for the salaries of good developers.
A user asks: “How can I return every skin?” Another sarcastically comments: “This is probably my last season, I’ve been playing since Season 5.” Some players also fear that there could be more AI-generated content in Fortnite in the future.
Overall, players are frustrated by the layoffs because many of them really liked the Simpsons map. One player writes: “The Simpsons map was 10/10 peak Fortnite. The graphic style was fantastic and there were so many little details. I wish it had stayed longer.”
Other important developers also left: Another post on Reddit finds drastic words: “The heart of Fortnite has died.”
The post names not only Paige Dugre but also other developers who left Epic Games during the recent wave of layoffs, including Christopher Pope, Nik Blahunka, and Evan Kinney, who worked on Fortnite’s earliest live events, the replay mode, and systems like the Rivalry feature.
The wave of layoffs came just under 2 weeks after Epic Games raised the prices of V-Bucks because “the operating costs of Fortnite have risen significantly”: The 15 billion euro company of Fortnite needs the help of players to “cover costs,” has to raise prices
