Unreal veteran Sjoerd De Jong departs Epic Games after 12 years, cites 'pivotal' industry moment
Sjoerd De Jong, a longtime Unreal Engine modder turned Epic lead evangelist, says he has left Epic Games after 12 years and 27 years working with Unreal Engine. He called the industry’s current state a 'pivotal' moment he needs to come to terms with.
Sjoerd De Jong, an early Unreal Engine modder who joined Epic Games full-time in 2014 as its lead evangelist and most recently served as senior director on an unannounced project, announced in a LinkedIn post that he has left the company. "After 27 years of Unreal Engine, and 12 years at Epic Games and Unreal Engine I have decided to move on. Last week was my last week at Epic," he wrote. He added that working with the engine changed his life: "This has been an awesome ride that has been truly life changing in so many ways...all of that changed entirely when I discovered Unreal Engine." De Jong began modding the original 1998 FPS at 15, worked on Unreal Tournament 2004 maps including DM-Rankin and ONS-Torlan, and has credits on titles such as Killzone and The Ball. He has also worked at studios including Starbreeze and ran indie studio Teotl. De Jong said the industry is reaching a "pivotal" moment he must come to terms with as he moves on.
