CARY – Epic Games acquisition of Cary Towne Center is a big one – literally and figuratively – for the video game and technology development company. So big, in fact, it’s already having an impact on the privately held company’s immediate operations as the publisher of the globally popular game Fortnite plans to build a “campus customized from the ground up.”
“We will not be proceeding with additional construction at our current headquarters,” Elka Looks, Communications Director for Corporate at Epic Games, tells WRAL TechWire.
However, a new campus doesn’t mean any changes in Epic’s technology game plan.
“We do not anticipate any changes to our product, game or technology roadmap,” Looks says.
Epic has been adding to its operations on Crossroads Boulevard as part of an expansion announced in October 2019. But the announced deal to buy the nearly 1 million square foot mall and surrounding property that was disclosed Sunday means a much larger physical footprint with plenty of room to grow.
The company already has over 2,200 employees across 35 offices worldwide.
As Epic looks to build a new complex, it already has some priorities and designs in mind since the original expansion plans included adding a 450,000- to 500,000-square-foot facility on its campus at the corner of Crossroads Boulevard and Jones Franklin Road.
The 87-acre Towne Center property is more than three times the size of Epic’s current headquarters and cost Epic $95 million, the company said in confirming media reports about the sale value.
While saying the project is “still pretty early in development and don’t have any plans to share just yet,” Looks did provide some insight into what the firm cofounded and majority owned by billionaire CEO Tim Sweeney has in mind for the property.
“This new 87-acre location is better suited for our team both in terms of location and expansion potential compared to the existing 8-acre expansion site on our current 27-acre property,” she says when asked about Epic’s reasoning for buying the financially ailing mall.
“This new space will also give us the flexibility to create a campus customized from the ground up for Epic that can also accommodate our long-term growth.”
As for what Sweeney and his team have in mind – stay tuned.
“It’s still too early to say exactly how we will utilize the property,” Looks notes.
“The facilities will include both office buildings and recreational spaces; it’s still early but we are committed to working with the Town of Cary to explore ways some of this property might be used by the community.”
Cary Towne Center sold to Epic Games, site will become company’s new headquarters
The mall’s previous owners, Turnbridge and Denali, already had made rezoning moves and planning for the site, and Looks says Epic is “grateful to Turnbridge and Denali for all of the investments they have made in the property across zoning and development since they purchased it in 2019.”
As for Epic’s own zoning plans and vision, she again stressed “early.”
“It’s still too early to say what type of rezoning we might pursue; this would all be done in close collaboration with the Town and we are committed to being respectful neighbors as we build out the property,” she notes.
There is no timeline as yet for “when plans will be available” but Epic said in the deal announcement that work would begin this year with a goal of completing the HQ by 2024.
For the time being, “we will continue to be based at our current location at Crossroads Boulevard,” Looks points out.
So what will happen to Epic’s current property?
“Still too early to share plans for what will happen to our current property once the new campus is built,” she says.
