Epic Games’ Fortnite is one of the most popular games available right now, and has sparked massive growth for the developer. As part of this growth and expansion, Epic Games is planning to open new development studios in Australia and New Zealand that are spearheaded by former Game Developers Association of Australia (GDAA) CEO Tony Reed.
According to GamesIndustry.biz, Tony Reed made this announcement at the closing of Game Connect Asia Pacific. He’s served as CEO of the GDAA for nine years, but decided to resign so the GDAA could be led by someone with new ideas and a fresh look on things. You can check out his full resignation statement from the conference below:
“Every year at GCAP I take a moment to reflect… This year takes me all the way back to 2009, before I took over the GDAA and I took over GCAP. I said at the time – and I believed this at the time – that I would stay for a maximum of ten years. I believed strongly at the time that every association, every industry body, should have a change of ownership – fresh eyes, and fresh ideas, and new approaches. And the thing is, I was right. So a few weeks ago, I resigned as the chief executive of the GDAA, and this will be my last GCAP as your host…
I am proud of the work I have done. But most of all, I am proud of you, because you came through the worst of times, and you built an industry that the world takes notice of. You have come together and formed a community that the world respects. That is a hell of an achievement and I’m extraordinarily proud of you for doing that.”
After announcing his resignation, he revealed that he would be helping Epic Games open new studios in Australia and New Zealand. While he didn’t share much more about what the studios will actually be working on or when they plan to open, Tony Reed did say that “there’s going to be a lot of news” about the new studios in the near future.
These studios would bring Epic Games’ subsidiary count up to 12, as the developer already has studios in North Carolina, Salt Lake City, Seattle, Germany, South Korea, Japan, Sweden, and the UK. Meanwhile, a Fortnitemares event is currently being teased for Fortnite Battle Royale, while the free-to-play version of Fortine: Save the World has been delayed to 2019.
Fortnite is currently available on PC, PS4, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS, and Android.