Sjoerd De Jong, a significant figure in the history of Unreal Engine and a 12-year veteran of Epic Games, has announced his departure from the company. De Jong, who joined Epic full-time in 2014 as the engine's "lead evangelist" and most recently worked as senior director on an unannounced project, revealed his exit on LinkedIn.
De Jong's relationship with Unreal Engine began at age 15 when he started modding the original 1998 release. His talent as a map creator led to an offer from Epic to work on Unreal Tournament 2004, where he designed maps such as DM-Rankin, which became the most played map of all time on the game according to server statistics. His career also includes work on titles like Killzone and The Ball, as well as time at studios like Starbreeze and his own indie company, Teotl Studios.
During his tenure at Epic, De Jong traveled extensively, visiting dozens of countries, hundreds of studios, and meeting countless developers. He described his work as supporting millions of developers annually.
Regarding his decision to leave, De Jong stated that the current era is concluding and it is time for him to move forward. He feels the games industry is approaching a "pivotal point" due to a combination of factors. Epic recently outlined its future plans for Unreal Engine, including the merging of Unreal Engine 5 and Unreal Editor for Fortnite, with a focus on interoperability across games and ecosystems through open standards and generative AI integration.
De Jong believes that to adapt and address the evolving challenges and opportunities within the industry, a strategic reassessment of the industry's direction is necessary.