06/17/2026
Most billionaires buy yachts and islands. The CEO of Epic Games is buying entire forests and locking them away from development forever.
Tim Sweeney is the CEO of Epic Games, the company behind Fortnite and Unreal Engine. He's worth billions. And for years, he's been quietly spending hundreds of millions of dollars buying forestland across North Carolina not to build on, not to develop, but to protect it permanently. He's placed conservation easements on the land, meaning it can never be sold for logging or construction, even after he's gone.
So far, Sweeney has conserved over 190,000 acres, making him one of the largest private land conservationists in the eastern United States. He grew up exploring the forests of North Carolina as a kid and has said he wants to preserve the landscapes that shaped him. He rarely talks about it publicly.
Rather than investing in luxury or status symbols, he’s choosing to protect nature for the long term.
His approach highlights a different kind of legacy—one focused on preservation and impact for future generations.
