Epic Games is killing three popular Fortnite game modes after laying off 1,000 employees

Following the news that Epic Games is laying off 1,000 employees, it has been announced that three modes are being removed from Fortnite. In recent years, Epic has gone hard on adding different experiences to its signature battle royale game, making it a platform that goes beyond the core mode. Now, however, it's pulling back on some of its more experimental content.

In an official statement via Fortnite Status, Epic Games notes that it has "built a lot of Fortnite modes, and in some cases [it has] failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base. We are going to shut these modes down on the schedules outlined below - we're grateful for everyone who played."

The three modes that will be leaving Fortnite soon are Rocket Racing (the Rocket League crossover mode), Ballistic (the Valorant-style arena shooter), and the Battle Stage part for Fortnite Festival. While all of these modes were popular at launch, their player bases have dwindled since, alongside the drop in engagement with Fortnite generally.

Rocket Racing will be removed in October 2026, along with all UEFN islands with Rocket Racing templates. Ballistic will be taken down on April 16, 2026, as part of the 40.20 update. Finally, the Battle Stage competitive mode of Festival will no longer be playable as of April 16, 2026, but quests will be available until then. The remainder of Fortnite Festival is unaffected and will continue to stay live for the time being.

This news comes after Epic Games laid off over 1,000 employees today. The statement from Tim Sweeney, which was also shared internally at Epic, reads: "Today, we're laying off over 1,000 Epic employees. I'm sorry we're here again. The downturn in Fortnite engagement that started in 2025 means we're spending significantly more than we're making, and we have to make major cuts to keep the company funded. 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.

"What we now need to do is clear: build awesome Fortnite experiences with fresh seasonal content, gameplay, story, and live events; accelerate developer tools with greater stability and capability as we evolve from Unreal Engine 5 and UEFN to Unreal Engine 6."

How these changes will affect Fortnite further down the line remains to be seen, but no other modes are being changed or removed for the time being.