Epic Games has followed up a staggering number of layoffs by announcing that Fortnite will be losing several of its longest-standing game modes, most of which are still beloved and enjoyed in the Fortnite community.
On March 24, the awful news was announced that Epic Games had cut 1,000 employees in mass layoffs. It’s a familiar trend in the gaming industry, and many quickly wondered what the knock-on effect would be for Fortnite, arguably the world’s most popular free-to-play shooter.
Epic Games Taking Fortnite’s Rocket Racing, Ballistic & Festival Battle Stage Offline
Say goodbye to Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Festival Battle Stage in Fortnite, as Epic has declared that two of them will be removed before the end of April 2026, with the remaining mode shutting down in late 2026.
In a full statement, Epic revealed that they had “failed to build something awesome enough to attract and retain a large player base.”
The three modes in question are the heart of this claim. The developer said Fortnite users have until October 2026 to enjoy Rocket Racing, so there’s still some time left.
Unfortunately, Fortnite Ballistic will be removed on April 16, with Festival Battle Stage exiting at the same time during the 40.20 update.
Here’s an extended look at the post:
“We’ve built a lot of Fortnite modes, and in some cases we 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.”
There could be more consequences for the Fortnite community as a result of the Epic layoffs, but we’ll have to wait and see what unfolds.
Are you shocked to see the end of Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Festival Battle Stage in Fortnite? Did you play them a lot? Let IG know via our Insider Gaming Discord.
Also, check out Nintendo reportedly cutting down Switch 2 production for more news.
Tim Sweeney needs to be ousted already just sell off hid shares to Larry Ellison who should buy Roblox too.