Sergiy Galyonkin, the creator of Steam Spy and former head of publishing strategy at Epic Games, has announced his departure from the company. This news comes shortly after Epic Games confirmed significant layoffs, affecting more than 800 employees, which accounts for 16% of the company’s total workforce.
Galyonkin, in a post shared on Twitter, expressed his gratitude to his former colleagues and Tim Sweeney, the CEO of Epic Games, for allowing him to contribute to the growth of the company. He stated that his eight years at Epic Games have been some of the most exciting in his career.
It is worth noting the irony of Galyonkin’s transition from creating Steam Spy, one of the most popular Steam-related websites, to working at Epic Games. He initially joined the company as the head of publishing for Eastern Europe in 2016, and eventually rose to the position of director of publishing strategy. Throughout this time, Galyonkin continued to maintain Steam Spy.
However, in his post, Galyonkin acknowledged that the nature of Epic Games has changed. He mentioned that the company is transforming into a platform, which he feels is not a good fit for him. Galyonkin referred to this transformation as “Epic 5.0,” a milestone that follows the company’s previous phases, such as Epic 4.0 when Tencent acquired a significant stake in the company.
The exact direction of Epic Games’ transformation into a platform, referred to as a “leading metaverse company” by Tim Sweeney, remains unclear. This pursuit of the metaverse concept has reportedly left Epic Games in a challenging financial position. Sweeney admitted that the company has been spending more money than it earns, investing heavily in the development of Fortnite as a metaverse-inspired ecosystem.
It is yet to be confirmed whether Galyonkin’s departure from Epic Games was a voluntary resignation or a result of the recent layoffs. His statement suggests it was a voluntary decision, but the timing raises questions. Regardless, Galyonkin expressed his intention to remain in the gaming industry and become more vocal without the restrictions of a corporate PR department.
Clarification on Galyonkin’s departure from Epic Games is being sought from the company.