In June, Sjoerd De Jong—an Unreal Engine modder and map creator turned full-time specialist at Epic Games—announced that he was leaving the company after 12 years as a senior director and Unreal Engine "lead evangelist." In a cryptic departure message, he said the games industry was at a "pivotal point," and he's aiming to "work out how to adapt and excel" at addressing the changing needs of videogame development.
We now have a clearer idea of De Jong's plans for navigating the games industry's future. In an interview with This Week in Videogames, De Jong revealed what he's tackling next: He's building a game engine of his own.