Chinese company Tencent Holdings purchases 48.4 percent of Epic shares, or about 40 percent of the company, for $330 million.

Adrian Chmielarz, founder of Bulletstorm developer People Can Fly, leaves the studio he founded in 2002. Epic announces on the same day that it has acquired the studio.

Rod Fergusson, executive producer and director of production on Gears of War, leaves Epic Games to join Irrational Games. He was hired by Epic in 2005. Fergusson eventually moved over to head a new studio created by Microsoft called The Coalition in 2014. The Coalition is now working on new games for the Microsoft-owned Gears of War franchise.

Cliff Bleszinski created his first game at 17. Epic Games co-founder Tim Sweeney hired Bleszinski after the teen sent him a copy of that game. Bleszinski went on to work on two Jazz Jackrabbit games, Unreal Tournament titles and the Gears of War trilogy. The developer announces his departure on Oct. 3, going on to form Boss Key Productions.

Mike Capps, who joined Epic Games as president in 2004, announces his retirement as president in 2012 and departs in early 2013. In March 2013, Capps leaves his advisory role at the company.

In June 2012, Epic Games hired on most of the staff of Big Huge Games, which had recently been laid off with the closing of parent company 38 Studios. Big Huge was renamed first to Epic Baltimore and then to Impossible Studios. Epic closes Impossible down on Feb. 8, 2013.

Kendall Boyd, Epic Games' director of worldwide marketing, leaves the company in early April to oversee marketing for the Halo franchise. He joined Epic in August 2010.