Players Use Epic For Free Games But Then Just Go Back To Steam, Former Employees Claim

The Epic Games Store: A Look at Its Successes and Remaining Challenges

In the competitive world of PC gaming, digital storefronts are key places where players buy and manage their games. The Epic Games Store (EGS), created by Epic Games – the company behind the massive hit Fortnite – entered this market with big ambitions. Its main goals were to challenge the long-standing dominance of Steam and offer a better deal for game developers. Financial reports and statements from Epic Games clearly show that the Epic Games Store is indeed profitable, proving its effective business model and the strong financial backing it has. However, being profitable is only one part of the story. For many gamers and people who follow the industry, the EGS is still "far from perfect." It faces criticism for missing features, a controversial strategy of game exclusives, and a user experience that often falls short compared to its rivals. This article will explore both sides of this situation, looking closely at how the EGS makes money and the key areas where it still needs significant improvements to fully win over the wider PC gaming community.

How the Epic Games Store Achieves Profitability

The financial success of the Epic Games Store isn't by chance. It's the result of a carefully planned and aggressive approach, supported by huge investments. Its profitability comes from a mix of Epic Games' existing massive hits, a very attractive way of sharing revenue with developers, and a bold move to secure exclusive game content.

Fortnite: The Driving Force Behind Epic's Wallet

Without a doubt, the biggest money-maker fueling the Epic Games Store is Fortnite. This free-to-play battle royale game, along with its other modes like Save the World and Creative, generates billions of dollars every year. This income comes from players buying V-Bucks, cosmetic items for their characters, and battle passes within the game. This huge and steady flow of money from Fortnite gives Epic Games a major advantage. It allows the company to cover the initial costs of launching a new digital game store, invest heavily in its technology, marketing, and most importantly, fund the expensive exclusive deals that have become a hallmark of the EGS. If Fortnite hadn't been such an enormous success, it's highly unlikely the Epic Games Store could have afforded its aggressive strategy to enter the market.

A Better Deal for Developers: The 88/12 Revenue Share

One of the strongest points Epic Games uses to attract game developers is its very generous 88/12 revenue split. This means that developers get to keep 88% of the money from their game sales on the EGS, while Epic Games takes only 12%. This is a big difference compared to the standard 70/30 split offered by many other digital stores, especially Steam, which keeps a larger 30% cut (though Steam offers slightly better terms for games that earn a lot of money). For independent developers and even larger game studios, this 18% difference can be huge. It means more money for developing future games, better marketing, or simply a healthier financial situation. This focus on developers has been a key reason why many different games, from small indie hits to big-budget AAA titles, have come to the platform.

By offering such a favorable share, Epic aims to change the long-standing rules of digital game distribution. They argue that a healthier environment for developers ultimately leads to better games and a more lively industry. While players might not directly benefit from this revenue split, the indirect benefit is a stronger game development community, which could encourage new ideas and higher quality games that might otherwise not be possible with less favorable financial arrangements. This commitment to developers isn't just about being nice; it's a smart business move to build a strong and appealing library of games, which in turn attracts players.

Strategic Exclusive Deals to Boost Growth

Another crucial part of the EGS's strategy, and a big reason for its early growth, is its approach to getting timed exclusive games. Epic Games offers developers significant upfront payments in exchange for their games being sold only on the Epic Games Store for a specific period (usually six months to a year, sometimes longer). These payments often guarantee that a developer will earn as much, or even more, than they might have on other platforms, reducing the financial risk of launching a game. This strategy immediately brings highly anticipated games to the platform, making players who want to play these games right away download and use the Epic Games Store launcher.

Even though these exclusive deals are controversial among gamers, they have been very effective in growing the EGS's user base and quickly expanding its game catalog. They ensure that even if a game's sales don't meet expectations, the developer still makes a guaranteed profit, making the EGS an attractive partner. These exclusive titles have often been the main reason many gamers first install the EGS launcher, even if they prefer other platforms for their wider game selection or features.

Growing User Base and Game Sales

Epic's financial reports consistently show that the Epic Games Store's user base and overall spending continue to grow. Millions of new accounts are registered each year, and the total money spent by users on games and in-game content keeps increasing. This growth shows that, despite its drawbacks, the platform is successfully attracting and keeping a large number of players. The combination of free games (which we'll discuss further), attractive sales, and exclusive titles all work together to build a growing community and a sustainable market. Furthermore, sales of games from other companies, not just Epic's own games like Fortnite, have also shown healthy growth, suggesting that the platform is becoming more than just a place to buy Epic's first-party titles.

Where the Epic Games Store Falls Short: Areas for Improvement

Despite its profitability and strategic successes, the Epic Games Store has faced ongoing criticism from a large part of the PC gaming community. These issues often relate to a perceived lack of features, its aggressive exclusivity strategy, and a user experience that many find to be lacking when compared to well-established competitors.

A Feature Set That Lags Behind Competitors

Perhaps the most common and persistent complaint about the Epic Games Store is its noticeable lack of basic features that gamers now expect from modern digital storefronts. While Epic has slowly added new functions over time, the pace has often felt very slow to many users, leaving a big gap when compared to feature-rich platforms like Steam. These missing or underdeveloped features lead to a less convenient and less engaging experience for users.

Missing Basic Conveniences

• Shopping Cart: For a long time, the EGS didn't have a basic shopping cart, meaning users had to buy games one by one. While this feature has now been added, its absence for so long was a symbol of the platform's early stage.
• User Reviews and Forums: Community-driven content like user reviews, ratings, and dedicated game forums are very important for many gamers when deciding what to buy. They provide real player feedback, help spot potential problems, and build a community around a game. The EGS's limited options here (it mostly relies on external Metacritic scores or a simple up/down vote) leave players feeling less informed and less connected.
• Cloud Saves for All Games: While many EGS games now support cloud saves, it's not a universal feature. This can lead to players losing their game progress or facing inconvenience when switching PCs if a developer hasn't specifically enabled it. Steam, on the other hand, has a strong and widely used cloud save system.
• Gifting Games: The ability to buy a game and send it as a gift to a friend is a popular feature on other platforms, especially during sales or holidays. This was missing from EGS for a long time and has only recently been introduced, but it's still not as smooth as on some competitor platforms.
• Advanced Mod Support: Modding (making changes to games) is a huge part of PC gaming culture, making countless games last longer and more fun to replay. Platforms like Steam offer easy Workshop integration for finding and installing mods. EGS offers very limited official mod support, often requiring players to use external websites and install mods manually, which can be difficult for less tech-savvy users.
• Family Sharing: The convenience of sharing your game library with family members on the same computer, or even remotely, is a highly valued feature on platforms like Steam. Its absence on EGS is a notable disadvantage for families or households with multiple gamers.
• Achievement System: While an achievement system does exist on EGS, it's not as widely used or as full of features as on other platforms. For many players, achievements add an extra layer of engagement and replayability, and a comprehensive system is generally expected.

A Simpler, But Often Less Useful, User Interface (UI)

The EGS launcher often promotes its clean, simple design. While some people might like this simplicity, it often comes at the expense of useful functions and easy discovery. The store can feel empty, making it harder to browse large catalogs of games, filter games effectively, or find community content. Compared to Steam's deep customization options, extensive community hub, and powerful search filters, the EGS can feel like a very basic experience, especially for experienced users or those with many games.

The Divisive Strategy of Game Exclusivity

Epic Games' decision to secure timed exclusive rights for many games on PC has been the most controversial part of its strategy. While effective in bringing traffic and sales to the EGS, it has also upset a large number of PC gamers.

Why Gamers Dislike Exclusives

• Forced Use of Multiple Launchers: Many PC gamers prefer to keep all their games in one place, using a single launcher (most often Steam). Being forced to download and manage several launchers for different games is seen as an inconvenience and an unwanted splitting up of their gaming experience.
• Seen as Anti-Consumer: Exclusivity deals are often viewed as bad for consumers because they limit player choice and dictate where and when a game can be bought. For players who have built large game libraries and social networks on a specific platform, not being able to access new games there feels restricting.
• Waiting Periods: Players who refuse to use the EGS have to wait months, sometimes over a year, before a game they want becomes available on their preferred platform. This causes frustration and can reduce excitement for a game by the time it finally arrives elsewhere.
• Perceived "Buying" Market Share: Critics argue that Epic isn't competing based on features, price (outside of sales), or quality of service, but rather by simply "buying" market share through aggressive exclusive contracts. This feels less like healthy competition and more like an artificial manipulation of the market.

Developer Benefits vs. Player Frustration

It's important to understand that from a developer's point of view, these exclusivity deals are often very beneficial. They provide guaranteed income, reduce financial risk, and can allow smaller studios to fund their projects without the huge pressure of launch day sales. Epic argues that by making developers stronger, they are ultimately benefiting the entire industry. However, this positive impact for developers often comes at the cost of player satisfaction and convenience, creating a deep divide within the gaming community.

Public Relations and Communication Challenges

Epic Games has, at times, struggled with its public relations and how it talks to the community about the Epic Games Store. Early communications about features, or the lack thereof, sometimes seemed dismissive or out of touch with what players expected. While they have improved over time, the initial impression left a lasting mark on many gamers. The idea that Epic prioritizes developers over players, or that they are slow to respond to community feedback on features, has contributed to a negative image surrounding the storefront.

Concerns About Trust and Privacy

While not as widespread as complaints about features or exclusives, some users have expressed worries about data privacy and security with the Epic Games Store, especially in its early days. These concerns were sometimes amplified by Epic's ongoing legal battles with companies like Apple and Google, bringing data practices into sharper focus. While Epic has strong security measures in place, and such concerns are not unique to their platform, the scrutiny adds to the overall perception that the EGS is a platform that still needs to fully earn the trust of all its potential users.

The "Why": Epic's Long-Term Vision for Change

Given the significant criticisms, one might wonder why Epic Games continues its current strategy with the EGS. The answer lies in a long-term goal to fundamentally change how digital games are distributed on PC, challenging what they see as a monopoly and creating a fairer system for game creators.

Challenging Steam's Dominance

For many years, Valve's Steam held an almost complete monopoly over PC game digital distribution. This dominance, Epic argues, allowed Steam to set unfavorable terms (like the 70/30 revenue split) for developers. Epic's main motivation with the EGS is to break this monopoly. By offering a strong alternative, especially with the 88/12 revenue share, they aim to force Steam and other platforms to offer better terms to developers, ultimately benefiting the entire industry.

Epic believes that competition is healthy and necessary. Their strategy, though disruptive and sometimes unpopular with consumers, is designed to bring that competition into a market that has lacked it for a long time. They view their investment in the EGS, including the costs of exclusivity deals and free games, as a necessary expense to achieve this larger industry shift.

Putting Developers First

A core belief for Epic's EGS is to put developers first. They constantly state that by giving more revenue to creators, they empower those creators to make better games, invest more in their teams, and take bigger creative risks. From Epic's point of view, if developers succeed, the entire gaming ecosystem benefits, including players in the long run. The generous revenue share and upfront exclusivity payments are direct examples of this developer-first approach.

Building a Foundation for Future Growth

Epic also sees the EGS as a long-term investment. They understand that building a feature-rich platform takes time and resources. Their initial focus was on securing game content and building a user base, recognizing that advanced features could be added step-by-step later. The strategy of giving away free games, for example, is not just about goodwill; it's a very effective way to get new users, introducing millions of players to the EGS launcher and its system. This strategy is about creating a base of users and content that can then be improved with a more complete set of features over time.

The vision goes beyond just selling games. Epic is also developing its Epic Online Services (EOS), a set of free, cross-platform tools for game developers that integrate with the EGS. This further strengthens their commitment to developers and creates an integrated system that could potentially rival the services offered by other platforms.

EGS vs. Steam: Two Different Paths to Digital Distribution

To fully understand the Epic Games Store, it's essential to compare it directly with its main rival, Steam. Their approaches to digital distribution represent fundamentally different philosophies, each with its own strengths and weaknesses.

Revenue Share: The Key Difference

As mentioned, the most significant difference is in the revenue share. Epic's 88/12 split for developers is a clear, aggressive challenge to Steam's long-standing 70/30 model (which slightly improves for games that earn a lot of money). This is where Epic believes it offers the most value, directly putting more money into the hands of game creators. For developers, this can be the deciding factor when choosing where to sell their game, especially for smaller studios where every percentage point makes a big difference.

Features and User Experience

Steam boasts an incredibly rich and mature set of features: a strong achievement system, comprehensive user reviews, active community forums, extensive mod support through its Workshop, gifting, family sharing, deep customization options, a powerful marketplace for in-game items, and a highly refined shopping experience. Its client is a central hub for PC gaming, offering social features, broadcasting, and a complex system built over nearly two decades.

The EGS, in contrast, offers a more straightforward, some might say bare-bones, experience. While it has made significant progress in adding features like a shopping cart and a more functional library, it still lags behind Steam in terms of the number and depth of features. Its focus seems to be on direct sales and finding new games, rather than building an all-encompassing social and community center.

Game Libraries and Exclusives

Steam's library is massive, containing tens of thousands of games spanning decades of PC gaming history. Its open nature (requiring only basic checks) means a vast selection. The EGS, while growing rapidly, has a much smaller, more carefully selected library. Its growth has largely been driven by its aggressive exclusivity strategy, which, as discussed, is a mixed blessing: it attracts specific titles but often upsets users who prefer open platforms.

Community and Trust

Steam has built a loyal and massive community over many years, encouraged by its extensive social features, forums, and content created by users. There's a deep level of trust and familiarity among its user base. The EGS is still working to build this level of community involvement and trust, often struggling against the negative perceptions that come from its exclusivity model.

The Future of the Epic Games Store: Pathways to Improvement?

Looking ahead, the Epic Games Store faces both opportunities and challenges. Its future success depends on its ability to change, adapt, and ultimately, bridge the gap between its developer-first philosophy and what the wider gaming community expects.

Continued Feature Development

The most crucial step for EGS is to continue, and ideally speed up, the development of its core features. Adding strong community features like better user reviews, comprehensive forums, and improved mod support would significantly improve the user experience and address key criticisms. A more refined and easier-to-browse storefront, with better filtering and recommendation systems, would also be beneficial. The goal should be to reach a point where the EGS client is not just functional, but genuinely enjoyable and convenient to use, giving players a strong reason to choose it beyond just exclusive games or free titles.

Rethinking the Exclusivity Strategy

While exclusivity deals were essential for the EGS's initial growth, their long-term effectiveness and impact on public perception are questionable. As the platform matures and its game library grows naturally, Epic might consider gradually reducing its reliance on timed exclusives. Shifting focus to attracting games through its superior revenue share and improved platform features, rather than just financial incentives for exclusivity, could help repair its relationship with unhappy gamers. This doesn't mean stopping the strategy entirely, but perhaps being more selective or offering different kinds of incentives.

Improved Community Engagement and Openness

Epic needs to continue to improve how it communicates with its users. Greater transparency about its development plans, more active responses to community feedback, and a clearer explanation of its long-term vision could help rebuild trust and create a more positive relationship with players. Creating official channels for community interaction and feedback that are actually used would be a good step.

Leveraging Epic Online Services (EOS)

Epic's broader strategy includes its Epic Online Services (EOS), a set of free tools for cross-platform play, matchmaking, and other online features. By smoothly integrating EOS with the Epic Games Store, they can offer developers a powerful and complete system. This could make the EGS stand out as not just a storefront, but a comprehensive platform for building and launching online games, providing extra value beyond just selling games.

The Benefit of Competition

Regardless of personal feelings about the EGS, its very existence and aggressive strategies have undoubtedly sparked competition in the PC digital distribution space. Steam has responded by adjusting its revenue share for high-earning games and speeding up feature development. Other platforms have also had to re-evaluate what they offer. This competition, largely driven by Epic, ultimately benefits developers and, in the long run, players, as platforms are pushed to innovate and offer better value.

Conclusion: A Profitable Challenger with a Clear Path Forward

The Epic Games Store is a fascinating example of how a company can shake up an established industry. It has clearly proven its profitability, fueled by the massive success of Fortnite, a developer-friendly way of sharing income, and bold exclusive game deals. This financial power has allowed Epic to quickly build a game catalog and gain a large user base, challenging the long-standing norms of PC game distribution. However, its journey has been far from smooth, marked by widespread criticism over its features, the controversial nature of its exclusive games, and a user experience that often doesn't meet player expectations.

The story of the EGS is one of a deliberate strategy: prioritize developers, build a user base through incentives, and add features over time. While this approach has led to significant financial success, it has also created a division within the PC gaming community. To truly reach its potential and move beyond being simply "profitable but far from perfect," the Epic Games Store must continue to evolve. By addressing its missing features, fostering a more engaging community, and perhaps adjusting its reliance on exclusivity as it grows, the EGS has the chance to become a truly well-liked and essential platform for PC gamers. Its impact on competition in the digital storefront market is already undeniable, and its continued development will certainly shape the future of how we buy and play games on PC.

from Kotaku
-via DynaSage