Epic Games is a video game and tech company headquartered in North Carolina.
The firm was founded by its CEO, Tim Sweeney, in 1991, and today has more than 40 offices worldwide.
Epic is the parent company of Fortnite, the video games phenomenon with over 350 million registered in-game accounts.
Epic is also the developer of Unreal Engine, which powers many blockbuster video games and is also used in film and television, as well as industries such as architecture, automotive and manufacturing.
In addition, Epic operates its own games download store – Epic Games Store – which has been likened to being an iTunes for video games.
Sony stake acquisition
Following the success of in-game concerts in Fortnite for artists such as Travis Scott and Marshmello, Sony Corp announced in July 2020 that it had agreed to make a strategic investment of $250 million in Epic.
Sony Corp made the investment via a wholly-owned subsidiary of Sony.
Kenichiro Yoshida, Chairman, President and CEO, Sony Corporation, said: “Epic’s powerful technology in areas such as graphics places them at the forefront of game engine development with Unreal Engine and other innovations. There’s no better example of this than the revolutionary entertainment experience, Fortnite.
“Through our investment, we will explore opportunities for further collaboration with Epic to delight and bring value to consumers and the industry at large, not only in games, but also across the rapidly evolving digital entertainment landscape.”Music Business Worldwide