Epic Games is making some of its biggest cuts, as several of the newer Fortnite game modes shut down, while the company is laying off more than 1,000 employees.
In a blog post shared by Epic, the company admitted that they are “spending significantly more than we’re making,” and said the layoffs are part of a bid to keep the company financially stable.
“This layoff, together with over $500 million of identified cost savings in contracting, marketing, and closing some open roles puts us in a more stable place,” the post continued.
Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Battle Stage to go offline
Rocket Racing is the high-speed mode in Fortnite built around customizable cars and arcade-style tracks, and after roughly two years, the game mode will leave in October 2026, plus all UEFN islands built with the mode’s templates will go with it.
Players will keep their vehicle cosmetics, and Epic stresses that car collections in the Vehicle Locker aren’t going anywhere. On the dev side, Epic is folding car physics, hazards, and track-building tools, including spline-based track tools and speed-boost devices, into the core UEFN toolset so creators can still build custom racing islands outside the official mode.
Epic confirmed that Ballistic mode will be removed from Fortnite with the 40.20 update on April 16, 2026. Lastly, the competitive Festival Battle Stage, one of three Fortnite Festival music experiences, will also go offline with the same 40.20 update.
However, Festival’s Main Stage rhythm mode and Jam Stage social space will remain, with Epic saying music is still a “major part of Fortnite” and promising continued improvements there. First-person shooter tools in UEFN will stay available, and Epic notes that FPS creator islands will continue to be supported even as its own in-house mode disappears.
What this means for creators and players
Taken together, it’s clear Epic is pulling back on experimental in-house modes that didn’t hold big audiences, while doubling down on tools for the creator ecosystem.
In the Rocket Racing announcement, the company openly admits that in some cases it “failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base,” and is now choosing to shut those modes down.
Now, Epic is effectively handing the keys to the community, betting that creators can sustain and evolve these ideas even if the official playlists vanish. For players, it means fewer permanent modes run by Epic in Fortnite.
