At a time when billionaire lifestyles often dominate headlines, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stands out for a completely different reason – he’s using his fortune not to buy luxury toys, but to protect tens of thousands of acres of untouched nature.
Since around 2008, Sweeney has quietly acquired over 50,000 acres of land across North Carolina, making him one of the state’s largest private landowners. But unlike commercial developers, his mission is clear: buy land to keep it wild.
Sweeney’s conservation efforts focus on regions known for rich biodiversity, including the Roan Highlands, McDowell County’s Foothills, and the Rocky River area.
These landscapes are home to fragile ecosystems, rare species, and important water sources, all vulnerable to unchecked development.
By purchasing these lands, Sweeney ensures they remain protected from commercial exploitation.
But he hasn’t stopped at buying. He has also donated thousands of acres to trusted conservation groups.
In 2016, he secured a 7,000-acre tract and donated a conservation easement to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. In 2021, he pledged about 7,500 acres to the Southern Appalachian Highlands Conservancy.
He has also transferred land to the state, helping expand Mount Mitchell State Park, home to the highest peak in the eastern United States.
As land prices surged post-2021, Sweeney shifted strategies. Instead of rapidly purchasing new parcels, he now focuses on holding large contiguous blocks of land until conservation groups or the state are ready to acquire them.
He often sells at discounted prices, reinvesting the proceeds into future environmental protection.
Through this long-term, preservation-first approach, Tim Sweeney has become a powerful example of how wealth can restore, rather than exploit, the natural world proving that not all billionaires are chasing luxury; some are quietly protecting the planet.