Fortnite boss Tim Sweeney sold his land at a discount to create a 6,000-acre reserve

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney is best known as the man behind Fortnite and the Unreal Engine. In his home state of North Carolina, he is also one of the largest private landowners, and a big piece of that land has passed into public hands. Sweeney sold 2,249 acres in McDowell County to the state well below market price, giving up about one-third of the property’s value.That sale completed the Bobs Creek State Natural Area, a protected stretch of foothills forest covering more than 6,000 acres. Foothills Conservancy of North Carolina and the North Carolina Division of Parks and Recreation closed the deal on March 30, 2022. It was the third and final purchase for the project. The first two phases, covering roughly 3,700 acres, were bought in 2019.Tim Sweeney held the Bobs Creek land until North Carolina could afford itThe discount was only part of the deal.