Summary
Despite being in the market for almost five years, the Epic Games Store is not profitable yet. Since its launch, the Epic Games Store has been in fierce competition with Steam, using free games andexclusive Epic Games Store releases such asTchia,Alan Wake 2, andSalt and Sacrificeto attract a wider customer base.
The Epic Games Store was released in December 2018. During this time, hundreds offree games were offered on the Epic Games Store, but it seems that this was not enough to make enough people spend money on the platform instead of Steam.
As recentlyspotted by The Verge, the store is still yet to turn a profit after all these years. The information comes from files related to the ongoing Epic vs. Google judicial case, in which the platform’s boss, Steve Allison, confirmed that theEpic Game Storeis still spending more money on its operations than it is gaining from game sales. Initially, the platform was hoping to acquire at least half of the PC gaming market revenue, but it seems to be failing at that goal for now, as Steam remains by far the most popular pick for PC gamers.
Overall, recent times have not been very good for Epic Games. Last month,Epic Games cut its staff by 16%, firing 870 employees. While layoffs are happening in several video game companies this year, they hint at worsening financial conditions for Epic. At the time of the layoffs, the company’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, talked about how the change focused on profitability, and how even with games likeFortniteachieving growth, revenue margins were pretty low, and the cuts were necessary to adjust the company’s budget for the future.
Despite its profitability issues, the Epic Games Store continues to give out free games every week. Currently, gamers canclaimTurnip Boy Commits Tax Evasionon the Epic Games Store. This short and cute game is inspired by the mechanics and style of theLegend of Zeldaseries and allows the gamer to play as the Turnip Boy, a funny character that owes money to the mayor and has to work to pay his debt.Turnip Boy Commits Tax Evasionwill remain available in the store until November 9, when it will be replaced byGolden Light.Golden Lightis an over-the-top FPS roguelike with strongDoomvibes, and will possibly be a fairly interesting experience for fans of the genre.
Epic Games Store
A digital video game storefront for Windows PC and macOS created and operated by Epic Games. Originally launched in December 2018, Epic Games Store is both a website as well as a standalone launcher.
