Epic Games, Inc. is an American video game and software developer and publisher headquartered in Cary, North Carolina. Founded by Tim Sweeney as Potomac Computer Systems in 1991 in his parents' house in Potomac, Maryland, the company initially focused on shareware games. Its first commercial release, ZZT, came out in 1991, leading to a rebranding to Epic MegaGames, Inc. in early 1992. Mark Rein joined as vice president that year and has remained in that role. The company gained prominence with the Unreal Engine and titles like Unreal Tournament, and later exploded in popularity with Fortnite in 2017, which became a battle royale phenomenon generating billions in revenue through in-game purchases. In 1999, Epic moved its headquarters to Cary, North Carolina, and simplified its name to Epic Games. The company has diversified into software with the Unreal Engine, widely used in gaming and other industries like film. Epic has been at the forefront of challenging digital distribution monopolies, filing antitrust lawsuits against Apple and Google in 2020 over their app store policies and 30% commission fees. These cases, including Epic Games v. Apple, highlighted tensions in the tech industry and resulted in partial victories for Epic, such as allowing alternative payment systems on iOS in some regions, though ongoing appeals continue. Epic also faced internal controversies, including layoffs in 2024 affecting hundreds of employees amid industry challenges. Financially robust, Epic is privately held with significant investments from Tencent, which owns about 40% stake. The company has been criticized for Fortnite's addictive mechanics targeting young players and for workplace culture issues, including allegations of crunch time and gender discrimination lawsuits settled out of court. Despite these, Epic remains a key player in gaming, with ongoing projects like the Epic Games Store to compete with Steam.