Fortnite Developers Detail Toxic Work Culture, Working 100 Hour Weeks: Report

BYAron A.2.4K Views
Link Copied to Clipboard!
Christian Petersen/Getty Images
Game enthusiasts and industry personnel visit the 'Fortnite' exhibit during the Electronic Entertainment Expo E3 at the Los Angeles Convention Center on June 12, 2018 in Los Angeles, California.
The success of "Fortnite" comes at the costs of Epic Games' employees.

Fortnite is undoubtedly one of the most successful video games out right now. With their constant updates and revamps to the game, they keep things refreshing for their users. Unfortunately, this comes at a price that employees at Epic Games have to play. According to a new report, employees from the company detail excruciating work weeks -- upwards to 100 hours -- in order to maintain the success of the video game.

Ethan Miller/Getty Images

Polygon conducted interviews over the past few months with employees and contractors at Epic Games who've admitted they've been working extensive hours at the company to maintain the Fortnite's success. These laborious hours have many employees working 70-hour weeks while others are logging in 100-hours. A few people have reportedly suffered health issues due to the hours.

"I work an average 70 hours a week,” said one employee. “There’s probably at least 50 or even 100 other people at Epic working those hours. I know people who pull 100-hour weeks. The company gives us unlimited time off, but it’s almost impossible to take the time. If I take time off, the workload falls on other people, and no one wants to be that guy.

Working crunch is reportedly expected and a few people have admitted that those who've refused to work weekends got fired. Another source said that the demand has impacted his sleeping patterns and general behavior at home.

“I hardly sleep. I’m grumpy at home. I have no energy to go out. Getting a weekend away from work is a major achievement. If I take a Saturday off, I feel guilty. I’m not being forced to work this way, but if I don’t, then the job won’t get done.”

Despite the claims made by employees, a spokesperson for Epic Games denied that the 100-hour weeks were a common recurrence.

“People are working very hard on Fortnite and other Epic efforts,” a spokesperson said “Extreme situations such as 100-hour work weeks are incredibly rare, and in those instances, we seek to immediately remedy them to avoid recurrence.”


About The Author
Aron A. is a features editor for HotNewHipHop. Beginning his tenure at HotNewHipHop in July 2017, he has comprehensively documented the biggest stories in the culture over the past few years. Throughout his time, Aron’s helped introduce a number of buzzing up-and-coming artists to our audience, identifying regional trends and highlighting hip-hop from across the globe. As a Canadian-based music journalist, he has also made a concerted effort to put spotlights on artists hailing from North of the border as part of Rise & Grind, the weekly interview series that he created and launched in 2021. Aron also broke a number of stories through his extensive interviews with beloved figures in the culture. These include industry vets (Quality Control co-founder Kevin "Coach K" Lee, Wayno Clark), definitive producers (DJ Paul, Hit-Boy, Zaytoven), cultural disruptors (Soulja Boy), lyrical heavyweights (Pusha T, Styles P, Danny Brown), cultural pioneers (Dapper Dan, Big Daddy Kane), and the next generation of stars (Lil Durk, Latto, Fivio Foreign, Denzel Curry). Aron also penned cover stories with the likes of Rick Ross, Central Cee, Moneybagg Yo, Vince Staples, and Bobby Shmurda.
...