After 25 years in the games industry, Donald Mustard, chief creative officer of Fortnite company Epic Games, is retiring. Mustard first gained recognition as the co-founder and creative director of Chair Entertainment, the studio that developed Shadow Complex and Infinity Blade. After Epic acquired Chair in 2008, Mustard took on the role of Epic Games’ chief creative officer in 2016.
Under his leadership, Fortnite was developed and launched, ultimately achieving worldwide renown as a global sensation. Mustard has now decided to leave Epic in a social media statement where he says, “After an incredible adventure, I will be retiring from my role as chief creative officer at Epic this month.”
“From the ambitious Advent Rising, to the start of Chair where we created Undertow, Shadow Complex, and the Infinity Blade trilogy, to the honour 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,” said Mustard.
“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!”
Mustard went on to say that he is, “Forever grateful” to Epic CEO Tim Sweeney as he looks forward to spending more time with his wife and family after retirement.
Charlie Wen steps in
As for Mustard’s replacement, writer and character designer Charlie Wen has announced that he will be taking over as the new chief creative officer of Epic Games.
Wen has over 25 years of experience working in both games and movies. He is best known for co-creating the iconic God of War protagonist Kratos while serving as the director of visual development at Sony Computer Entertainment America.
Following his tenure at Epic Games, Mustard co-founded Marvel Studios‘ visual development department, where he played an instrumental role in designing and conceptualising the Marvel Cinematic Universe. In addition, he was briefly in charge of film development at Riot Games, the developer of League of Legends.
Wen then went on to co-found and lead Marvel Studio’s visual development department, leading the design and world-building of all the studio’s superheroes in the MCU.
The former Marvel man took to social media platform X to say he’s, “Deeply grateful to everyone who has come alongside me thus far. The journey ahead promises to be truly epic!”
Excited to share that I embarked on a new adventure as Chief Creative Officer (CCO) of Epic Games.
— Charlie Wen (@imcharliewen) September 11, 2023
Deeply grateful to everyone who has come alongside me thus far. The journey ahead promises to be truly epic! #EpicGames #fortnite #ue5 #mcu #godofwar #metaverse #videogames pic.twitter.com/nND73BGekB
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
