Fortnite’s creative lead retires after 7 years driving Epic’s battle bus

There's probably a 'cutting the mustard' joke in here somewhere, as Fortnite creative lead Donald Mustard retires from Epic Games after 7 years at the helm.

Ian Stokes

Published 11 Sep 2023

Fornite’s Chief Creative Officer (CCO), Donald Mustard, has announced on Twitter that he’ll be stepping down from his role at Epic later this month, after seven years at the company.

You might not have heard of Donald, but unless you’ve been living under a rock on the far side of mars, you’ve certainly felt his impact on gaming.

Mustard was the founder of ChAIR Entertainment Group, an American video game developer based in Salt Lake City. Their debut game was an Xbox Live Arcade exclusive underwater combat title called Undertow, although they’re probably best known amongst Xbox gamers for their 2009 Metroidvania-style game Shadow Complex on the Xbox 360.

ChAIR was picked up by Epic Games in 2008 and Mustard continued in his role as Creative Director there until 2016, when he was promoted to Chief Creative Officer (CCO) for Epic Games. Just one year later, Fortnite was released and forever changed the gaming landscape. Still to this day, seven years after release, it’s one of the most popular and most played games on all platforms, including Xbox.

In his announcement, Mustard said “I am especially proud of the opportunity I’ve had to help create and shape Fortnite”. When it first launched, Fortnite was almost unrecognisable compared to the game we know today, with the Save the World story mode being the main focus at launch. That all changed when Epic added Battle Royale mode (somewhat controversially given its striking similarities to PUBG). Whoever did it first, at this point there is no arguing that Fortnite did it more successfully, exploding into one of the most popular games of all time.

Since none of the Fortnite achievements in the game are related to the Battle Royale mode, and we track gamers based on their achievements, Fortnite's popularity can go under the radar on TA, but a quick glance at the popular Xbox games chart shows that it's constantly in or around the top spot (dethroned only by Starfield last week).

Speaking about his time working on the game, Mustard said “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!”

Closing out his statement, Mustard said “I’m excited to spend time with my wife and family and am forever grateful for @timsweeney and the Epic Games family”.

So long Donald, and thanks for all the pinatas.

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Written by Ian Stokes

After a decade of using TA for achievement guides, Ian has ascended the mountaintop and now runs the place (under Rich, our benevolent leader). He plays almost every genre, but especially loves RPGs & shooters. He’s also a bit of a fiend for indie titles.

With 10 years experience as a games journalist, he's worked on sites like GamesRadar, VICE, IGN, Space.com, and more. Ian graduated from Keele University with a BA in Biology and a PhD in Chemistry.