Donald Mustard began his career running a successful studio that showcased the capabilities of the Xbox and iPhone.
He then became a key figure in one of the most ambitious storytelling ventures in gaming history with Fortnite’s expansive metaverse. Now, Mustard, the Chief Creative Officer at Epic Games, has announced his retirement, set for this month.
“After an incredible adventure, I will be retiring from my role as Chief Creative Officer at Epic this month,” Mustard shared on social media.
“I have enjoyed nearly 25 years in the game industry collaborating with some of the most talented people ever, and I am so proud of what we have made together,” he continued.
Mustard expressed his excitement about spending more time with his wife and family and conveyed his deep gratitude to Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney and the entire Epic Games team.
Mustard’s legacy in the gaming industry is perhaps best remembered through Shadow Complex, a standout Metroidvania game that debuted on the Xbox 360’s Xbox Live Arcade in 2009.
The game broke sales records for the platform, selling 200,000 copies within its first week. Chair Entertainment, the studio Mustard co-founded with members of the Advent Rising development team, also released the award-winning Undertow on Xbox Live Arcade in 2007.
Mustard served as both the creative and technical director on Shadow Complex, a project that included contributions from many Epic Games employees after Epic acquired Chair in 2008.
By 2010, Mustard shifted his focus from Xbox to the iPhone. Epic Games had just demonstrated the potential of iOS as a gaming platform with its impressive Epic Citadel tech demo.
Mustard’s studio, Chair, transformed this into Infinity Blade, a visually stunning sword-fighting series that became Apple’s showcase for the iPhone’s graphical capabilities for years, despite its initial conception as a Kinect title for Microsoft. Infinity Blade set a new standard for mobile gaming.
After Infinity Blade III and the canceled Infinity Blade Dungeons, Chair went quiet, working secretly with J.J. Abrams on SpyJinx while putting a sequel to Shadow Complex on hold, as reported by Polygon in 2016.
In 2016, Mustard was appointed as Epic Games’ worldwide creative director, overseeing various projects, including Battle Breakers and Epic’s first full-length VR game, Robo Recall.
Then came Fortnite. Originally conceived as a different kind of game, Fortnite was reshaped by the success of PUBG into the world’s leading battle royale title.
It evolved into a game with a groundbreaking narrative, featuring elements like cracks in the sky, giant monster battles, a black hole, and reality-bending rifts that brought together characters from Marvel, Stranger Things, Dragon Ball, Star Wars, Naruto, and Futurama—all within the same universe. Fortnite became a cultural phenomenon unlike any other.
In his farewell message, Mustard assured fans that Fortnite’s future is secure, with the teams working on “huge, jaw-dropping, amazing things” still to come.
