Fortnite Would Have Been Canceled If Rod Fergusson Had Stayed At Epic

We think of history as something filled with big events that drive the world, but often times it’s the smallest things that happen that change its course. Case in point- the simple fact that one man left Epic Games to head up the Gears of War franchise probably made the difference between the biggest game in the world, Fortnite, from existing or not.

In a video interview with Game Informer, which you can see below, Rod Fergusson said when he first saw Fortnite, he was going to cancel it. He said that it wouldn’t have passed his measure for something worth putting more resources into. Considering how big Fortnite is now, and the major influence it’s had on the industry as a whole, him leaving Epic to go to The Coalition to continue overseeing Gears had a massive impact on gaming history.

Of course, it is worth nothing here that he’s referring to seeing the game still in development, which undoubtedly looked far different than the product we know now. Plus, the initial release of Fortnite lacked the battle royale mode that launched it into the mainstream in such a big way (it actually released in 2017 to middling success and reviews prior to that). Still, it’s interesting to think about all the same.