Epic Games is repurposing an old shopping mall as its next headquarters

Editor’s take: Amazon has also expressed interest in repurposing failed malls, but Epic’s case is a bit unique in that the Cary Towne Center is located in its hometown of Cary, North Carolina. With the move, Epic is continuing to invest in its local community and there’s a lot to be said for that.

Epic Games is trying something new with its next major project.

The video game developer and publisher over the weekend announced plans to acquire Cary Towne Center, an indoor shopping mall that originally opened in 1979. The mall thrived during the 80s, leading to a huge expansion the following decade.

All good things must come to an end, however, and Cary Towne Center was no exception. As the retail landscape shifted and online sales picked up, tenants started moving out. The once-thriving retail center became a shell of its former self and was even scheduled to be closed and demolished following the 2020 holiday shopping season.

That’s when Epic came to the rescue.

Realizing the opportunity, Epic agreed to purchase the tired mall and will repurpose the space as its new company headquarters. Work to transform the mall into a property with office buildings and recreational space will begin this year and is expected to wrap up by 2024. Financial terms of the purchase were not shared.