Tim Sweeney, the founder, CEO, majority shareholder of Epic Games, and developer of technologies such as Unreal Engine 3, has donated a large area of the Appalachian highlands located in North Carolina. The donation was made to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy to preserve the natural beauty of the land for generations.

The donation is the most significant gift in the history of the Conservancy, as stated by executive director Carl Silverstein. The Epic Games CEO's offering is said to be approximately 7,500 acres of land in total. It includes the largest American Chestnut restoration project in the United States and a series of other beautiful landmarks.

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The Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy has been attempting to gain large tracts of land for years to preserve the land and allow it to retain its natural form. According to Silverstein, the land acquired still retains the same look that it had for generations.

Tim Sweeney has been a longtime member of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy and has been making land acquisitions since the early 2010s to bring it together to be signed over in a single large tract for years. Other members are excited about what will come from this. Companies such as Razer have attempted similar levels of conservation but through sales of products.

Critics who believe that the donation may have been made to garner good press recall that Sweeney has been a member of the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy for a long time. The criticisms surrounding the Epic Games Store and Fortnite seem to not deter Sweeney from his continued philanthropy. While this is a significant gift, Sweeney has worked in the lines of conservation for years, helping expand state parks and salvaging forest land for fish and wildlife. Sweeney will continue to be involved with land conservation even after this gift.

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Source: SAHC