The Epic Games Store is an online service for the digital distribution of computer games, developed and managed by the American company Epic Games.
Epic Games Platform
Epic Games is an American video game development company founded by Tim Sweeney in 1991. It is known for its popular game series such as:
- Gears of War;
- Unreal Tournament;
- Fortnite.
However, one of the key features of Epic Games is the development of the Unreal Engine game engine, which in 2014 was recognized as the most popular among developers and included in the Guinness Book of Records.
The company's history began under the name Potomac Computer System, and its first game was ZZT, sold in several thousand copies. However, real success came in 1998 with the release of the game Unreal Tournament, created based on the eponymous engine.
And, of course, one cannot fail to mention Fortnite, a sandbox game that became a phenomenon and attracted more than 250 million players a month in Battle Royale mode.
With the global success of "Fortnite," the company began its journey to become one of the best game developers in the industry.
This is partly, of course, due to the huge success of "Fortnite" and also the company's desire to acquire exclusive rights to distribute the most anticipated games from other developers. For a while, Epic Games was the only place where you could play "Borderlands 3" on PC, which annoyed many players.
Epic Games Game Store
However, Epic Games did not limit itself to game development alone. In 2018, the company introduced its own online game store, which became a competitor to Valve's Steam.
Epic Games The Epic Games Store has a simple interface. After creating an account, you choose a display name, using which other players will recognize you. It can be changed at any time, but not more often than once every two weeks. By exchanging your logins with friends, you can invite a friend of a friend to the platform. This way you can play together online.
You can either buy games directly in the Epic Games Store or use codes for games purchased from third-party developers.
This store offers not only products from Epic Games but also games from other developers, such as Tom Clancy’s The Division 2 and Metro Exodus. The feature of the store is the possibility of getting games at discounts or even for free, which has attracted many players.
The commission fees of this company significantly differ from those of competitors:
| Platform | Commission Fees |
|---|---|
| Epic Games Store | 12% |
| Steam | 30% |
Summarizing, Steam and the Epic Games Store do roughly the same thing - distribute games from first and third parties, but there are several significant differences. Steam boasts a vast game library and an established user base. Epic Games offers a more simplified approach with fewer features, yet compensates with exclusive games and access to the Unreal Engine.
Epic Games even sued Google and Apple over the high commission fees they charge developers for selling apps on their platforms (up to 30%).
Moreover, Epic's Unreal Engine is a powerful tool for creating your own games, which can be used by independent developers. This tool is available for free in the Epic Games Store, similar to Steam. Developers using Unreal Engine are exempt from fees until they reach a revenue of one million dollars.
The Epic Games Store also functions as a launcher for starting games, but so far does not have a full-fledged community and additional features available in Steam. However, this may change over time.
Epic Games' Attitude Towards Cryptocurrency
Epic Games' attitude towards cryptocurrencies is positive. The company embraces innovations in technology and finance, and believes that blockchain technologies and NFTs have the potential to develop the gaming industry.
In October 2021, after Valve banned games using NFTs and cryptocurrencies on Steam, Epic Games announced that its store is open to such games. The company expressed willingness to work with developers in the field of NFT technology implementation and help them create new and interesting gaming opportunities.
Currently, Epic Games is in negotiations with developers to find out their plans regarding the introduction of NFT technology. The company intends to personally discuss with developers and issue them special permissions to use NFTs in games.
Epic Games does not rule out that in the future it may develop its own tools and solutions to support NFTs in games.
