Donald Mustard is leaving Epic Games

Epic Games’ chief creative officer Donald Mustard has announced that he is leaving the company after nearly 25 years in the games industry.

Mustard started to gain more professional recognition within the games industry after he co-founded his own company Chair Entertainment in 2005. It was eventually acquired by Epic following a period of collaboration on digital releases for console and mobile in 2008, at which time he also joined the company and quickly started to rise up in its ranks.

In his time at Epic Games, Mustard has been one of the champions behind the massively popular multiplayer battle royale game and pop-culture collaboration monkey-maker Fortnite. He also worked as creative director on cult classics like Infinity Blade and Shadow Complex.

“After an incredible adventure, I will be retiring from my role as Chief Creative Officer at Epic this month,” said Mustard, on X and other social media services.

“I have enjoyed nearly 25 years in the game industry collaborating with some of the most talented people ever and I am so proud of what we have made together. From the ambitious Advent Rising, to the start of ChAIR where we created Undertow, Shadow Complex, and the Infinity Blade trilogy, to the honor of our tiny team becoming part of Epic, each new chapter allowed me to accomplish something new and original. I am especially proud of the opportunity I’ve had to help create and shape Fortnite.

“I am humbled to have been a part of the team that every day tries to bring ‘joy and delight’ to the Fortnite community! We love watching you experience every moment – leaping from the Battle Bus for the very first time, seeing the rocket crack open the sky, dancing with friends after a Victory Royale, being sucked into a black hole or being washed out to sea as The Island flipped over – and on and on! I can’t wait to now share in the future of Fortnite as a player alongside all of you! The teams are in the best hands and they are working on huge, jaw dropping, amazing things!”