Fortnite Layoffs Hit Original Jonesy Character Artist

The r/Games post that cleared this week’s signal threshold focused on a March 25, 2026 GameSpot report about the latest Epic Games layoffs. The most striking detail was not just the scale of the cuts, but who they reached. According to GameSpot, the affected staff includes Vitaliy Naymushin, an artist who said on LinkedIn that he helped create Jonesy, Ramirez, Penny, and much of Fortnite’s original cast. He also said he spent more than 11 years at Epic and later served as director of character art on Fortnite.

That matters because Jonesy is not a minor background figure. He is one of the most recognizable faces associated with Fortnite’s identity across multiple eras of the game. Losing a longtime artist tied to the title’s original look changes the tone of the layoff story. It stops being only a headline about a large company reducing headcount and becomes a sign that foundational creative roles were not insulated from the cuts.

What the sources say

GameSpot says Epic cut around 1,000 roles in its latest layoff round.

Vitaliy Naymushin said he helped create Jonesy, Ramirez, Penny, and much of Fortnite’s original cast.

He said he directed character art across 15 Fortnite seasons after rising into a leadership role.

Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said Fortnite engagement had declined since 2025 and that the company was spending significantly more than it was making.

Epic also announced a $500 million cost-savings plan, cuts to contract work and marketing, and changes affecting projects including Rocket Racing, Ballistic, and Festival Battle Stage.

The strategic context is just as important as the personal one. GameSpot reports that Epic is using the layoffs as part of a broader reset that combines job cuts, project reductions, and spending controls. A spokesperson also told Game File that Epic would still have roughly 4,000 employees after the layoffs, while affected US staff would receive at least four months of severance and six months of healthcare coverage. Those details suggest Epic is trying to frame the move as a restructuring, not a collapse, but the creative symbolism of losing original Fortnite talent is hard to ignore.

For Fortnite players, the practical impact is not that Jonesy suddenly disappears from the game. The more meaningful signal is that a live-service title still generating enormous mindshare is being reshaped from the inside, including around people who helped define its visual language. When layoffs reach that layer of a franchise, it usually means the publisher is willing to alter not just staffing levels, but the long-term way the product is maintained and expanded.