“The Epic Games Store (EGS) has changed the landscape of video game digital distribution since its release in December 2018. Epic Games, the developer of gamer-phene Fortnite founded this store. The store started attracting attention in the gaming community right away for its hard-lined stance against more well-known online storefronts — most prominently, Valve’s Steam. A quick wait a sec so that really isn’t going to change any time soon, but with its developer-welcoming array of ruleset, lunatic exclusives, and blood-lightning-free-to-own titles or bundle swag-for-the-takin’ (as long as one slakes their thirst inside the client),”
In Image: Epic Games Store
The Origins of the Epic Games Store
A Noteworthy Arrival
For years now Steam has owned the space as far as online PC games retail goes, and that made it a potential threat when Epic opened up shop with its new storefront. Steam’s dominance went largely unchallenged for years, other rivals like GOG and Origin nibbling around the edges. That was all well and good, until developers found out Steam snatched 30% of sales out the gate, which was a ripe opportunity for Epic Games to capitalize on. Epic Games swooped in and offered a much sweeter 12% cut, which put one hell of a spring in the step over at both big name publishers and indies.
Laws That Support Developers
But a reduction of the revenue share was only one component of Epic’s plan to entice developers. It also empowered authors with more control over pricing, promotional sales and even offered to go without DRM (Digital Rights Management). And even the Epic Games Store started out with a “Support-A-Creator” program that rolls back some of the commission they’re taking, swinging some percentage of sales that they helped to affect into content creators’ pockets, effectively aligning the store’s interests directly with those of the vast ecology gaming community.
Approach to Exclusive Content
Holding game releases hostage became a big part of the strategy used by several different storefronts on PC, most notably the Epic Games Store. Much of these users who probably would have stayed on Steam to begin with, were lured away by Epic’s time-limited exclusivity contracts for big named titles like Metro Exodus, Borderlands 3 and The Outer Worlds. This sometimes controversial exclusives, has led to an industry wide conversations from the consumer perspective as well as moral point-of-view of exclusives. And despite the backlash, those promotions did their job — they brought more customers to the digital threshold of the Epic Games Store.
Evolution and Impact
In Image: Fall Guys Game for mobile devices
Expanding the Community of Users
Giving away free games has been one of the most impactful marketing tools for Epic Games Store and actually everyone knows it. The Store provides a free game (or two) every week, be it a AAA blockbaster or an indie title. Through this strategy it brings in some new consumer but at the same time also keeps the existing consumer engaged. This tactic works, as shown by the rapid growth of the store. The Epic Games Store was a nascent platform, but by the end of 2020, it boasted 160 million registered members and 56 million monthly active users—an incredible feat for such a young platform.
Impacts on Developers and Industry Participants
The Epic Games Store has also made a substantial mark in the wider landscape too. It’s an arguably good alternative to Steam for devs, too, thanks to the store’s slightly nicer policies and more of a cut of revenue. Still, the end effect of this rivalry is healthy redirection on other platforms to re-examine their own limits and it is only a win-win for consumers and developers.
Meanwhile, the Epic Games Store slowly started to make inroads on Steam’s total dominance of the PC games space. This diversification has opened up many more channels for gamers and game developers to promote or distribute their content, and has allowed for even greater innovation in this area.
Problems and Arguments
The Epic Games Store has had problems alongside its successes. The company has faced criticism from gamers who believe that the company’s relentless quest for exclusives is closing off their options. And just as a result of this, the platform has suffered from relatively minimal features compared to competitors such as Steam. The Store, for instance, launched to no built-in forums and customer reviews and community features required of other platforms.
Another flashpoint has been the legal tussles that Epic Games has carried on with Apple and Google over their competing app store policies. Epic suing the behemoths of the internet today over what it calls anti-competitive practices is certainly a move that has reverberated around the globe and will go on to shape debates over the future of online marketplace.
The Epic Games Store Has a Mobile Version
The Mobile Launch
The Epic Games Store made a significant evolutionary leap in mobile last August, when it premiered on mobile devices. In particular, it was available on EU iPhones and Android devices globally. That increase largely resulted from the European Union’s Digital Markets Act (DMA), which compelled Apple to permit third-party app shops on its units in the EU. This move represents a significant victory in Epic’s ongoing war against what it sees as restrictive practices at the hands of both Google and Apple.
Some of the other notable titles available for when the Epic Games Store went live on mobile included Fortnite, and Fall Guys — making its mobile debut — and Rocket League Sideswipe. The store is regarded as a direct competitor to the Apple software Store and Google Play Store which both retain limited-level cut of revenue from software sales when the mobile will enter into new era in mid-2023.
Challenges and Opportunities
Things have not been easy since the launch of the Epic Games Store on mobile. Epic states that Apple and Google are purposely trying to make any app store harder to access so “getting the shop on iOS and Android devices is substantially a great deal much more tough than just downloading software program application from the indigenous application stores.” Even with these issues, the launch itself represents another important stride toward competition in the mobile app space.
The mobile version ofEpic Games poses a mixed challenge and opportunity. Convincing users to abandon the more entrenched app shops for its platform is a difficult hurdle that the company must overcome. If the Epic Games Store mobile version doesn’t go well, then so be it; but we hope that this will not only prove us wrong but at least bring a wave of change to the mobile game market and give players more options along with a better working situation for developers.
Conflicts in Regulation and Law
The mobile launch of the Epic Games Store is inextricably tied to the legal and regulatory wars that Epic has been fighting. The firm has led the charge against Apple and Google, arguing that their high commission rates and control over app distribution are forms of anti-competitive behaviour. These disputes have resulted in a number of high-profile lawsuits, including one case targeting Apple that began in 2020.
The legal troubles had profound effects on the mobile launch of the Epic Games Store in a few ways. In an effort to circumvent the limits of the big app eco-systems and provide a more open marketplace for developers and consumers alike, Epic is busy building their own app distribution platform.
Prospects for the Epic Games Store
In Image: Rocket League Game for Mobile Devices
Sturdy Growth and Development
I think the Epic Games Store has a bright future ahead of it. This platform is already a digital distribution powerhouse, and its newest mobile venture only adds to this potential growth. The Epic Games Store may be considered niche right now, but as more developers and players learn how the platform works for everyone, it is safe to say that more and more users will steadily find their way over there bringing up its market share.
In addition, Epic Games has also promised to continue its endless quest for exclusives and frequent free games. These strategies are proven effective, thus it is probable that they will be among the vital contributors to the future growth strategy of the store.
The Challenges and Potential Risks
However, the Epic Games Store still has plenty of obstacles ahead of it going into the future. Thus, the Apple vs Google patent war will likely be a long and complicated one — and it is by no means certain that Apple will prevail. Even more unlikely to happen is that the store’s incredibly limited features in comparison to things like Steam could easily make it so that some gaming communities won’t even bother with it.
Then there is the issue of sustainability. Epic proceeds to be the success story it is due largely in part to the heavy financial investments Epic Games has made in order to secure exclusives and offer free games. As the store ages it will need to find a way to continue its success without these costly measures.
The Impact on a Bigger Sector
The long-term success of the Epic Games Store could hold even greater implications for gaming. With developers and consumers streaming to the platform, it may put pressure on competing digital shops to change their own policies and practices. Ultimately, that could help consumers and developers by leading to a wider selection of competitive products.
But the Epic Games Store’s first foray into mobile could be an existential threat to both the Apple App Store and Google Play Store, finally ridding us of giants by making life just a little easier for mobile games. If successful, this could be huge for the future of app distribution and monetisation.
A Change in Digital Distribution with the Epic Games Store
The launch of the Epic Games Store — which strove toward shaking things up, disrupting how online games were sold and distributed — represented one of digital distribution’s most important inflection points. Meaning that for years the traditional model had been under fire by platforms such as Steam, until an idea was hit on the Epic Games Store centred around devs properly being compensated, as well as community contribution.
The project is built around what we felt was merely an inadequate model to share revenue currently in place and the need to test it. News of the lowered 12% take spread among major publishers as well as indie devs, and they were quick to flock toward Epic Games Store. This not only opens up possibilities for sponsorship of multiple income streams by producers, it liberates individual producers from the financial stranglehold exerted by other platforms, allowing them to operate independently and create original content.
Innovations and Involvement with the Community
Aiming to reimagine digital distribution, the Epic Games Store has put a lot of emphasis on user experience and community features. Regularly sending free games has been one of the more recognizable tactics they’ve used, and it has long been a design signature of that service. The Epic Games Store continuously generates interest and engagement among current users while also attracting new users by providing a ever rotating library of high-quality titles for free. For a platform that was less than two years old, this approach proved to be super-effective as the shop has registered over 160 million users by the end of 2020.
In addition, the Epic Games Store is now linked to exclusive game releases. By securing timed exclusive deals for some of the biggest titles released over the past couple of months, including Metro Exodus and ye olde Borderlands 3, the shop’s attracted customers away from rivals such as Steam. That certainly helps generate a lot of buzz and excitement for the Epic Games Store, even if it usually devolves into debates about consumer choice, or whether blocking games from being on other platforms is immoral. This not only boost the platform becoming more visible, but it also solidifies its position as one of a strong player in digital distribution market.
Regardless, there are a few issues remaining with the Epic Games Store that will need to be handled if it is ever going to continue growing and making an impact. The relatively limited set of features compared to many other (more well-known) platforms has been a source of major concern. Steam is also a more fully formed “community ecosystem,” with forums, user review, and social features that were often missing when the Epic Games Store first launched. Some gamers have criticized this disparity and called for a more engaged community experience. After identifying this flaw weakness however, Epic has been working hard to implement features that include user reviews and other community-centric tools.
The Epic Games Store also has come under much scrutiny, because of its lawsuit strategy towards both major industry competitors in Apple and Google. The court battles, in this case over insane commission rates and app distribution rules, have garnered a lot of attention while sparking important conversations about the future of online marketplaces. Besides protecting its own interests, the Epic Games Store [is calling for broader reforms that could benefit developers and consumers alike by countering supposed anti-competitive conduct].
Prospects for the Future and Possible Hazards
As the Epic Games Store ventured into mobile territory not so long ago, it seems to be gearing up for a brighter future ahead. On August 2024, its mobile counterpart hit the Epic Games Store with hopes of providing an alternative to the app store monopolies created by Google and Apple. This move fits right in with continued shifts seen amid the digital distribution market amidst an ever-growing base of consumers searching for additional options on how they secure copies of games they are interested in. The Epic Games Store is smashing the mold by providing household name games on mobile platforms including Fortnite, Fall Guys, and now Rocket League Sideswipe — creating new opportunities for engagement in a fast-evolving landscape.
There are a few issues with the mobile extension, though. As the frictions of Epic Games building its platform must contend with an industry that has historically rewarded battle-hardened app stores, Despite these challenges, the Epic Games Store can potentially revolutionize the mobile gaming landscape. If it works, it may give the creators a more equitable cut of the money and players more choice in games. The margin for error is slim, and how effectively the Epic Games Store has articulated its value proposition to developers and users will likely dictate its success on mobile.
The fate of the Epic Games Store in the long term could also be determined by the legal struggles between Epic and major tech companies. While these conflicts point to a necessity for reform of the digital marketplace, they also bear the risk of wasting resources and leading to lengthy distraction. Navigating Legally Will Be Key As Epic Tries To Reach Its Footprint In Many Platforms While Still Being Synchronous With The Gaming Community
In the next few years, video game digital distribution will surely only have its changes exacerbated by the impact of the Epic Games Store. That has already made a difference. Epic Games has positioned its store as a serious competitor to popular marketplaces like Steam, the Apple App Store, and Google Play Store by offering more enticing terms for creators in hopes of drawing them away from those platforms while making its first steps into mobile.
However, the future of this store remains to be seen. That’s not easy, as it faces various hurdles: from legal proceedings to rivals. However, due to the fact that the Epic Games Store is a new and risky initiative in digital distribution – with all sorts of potential barriers for developers, gamers, and industry-watchers to surmount – there will be no shortage of eyes on its impending evolution.
“The Epic Games Store can reshape the digital distribution business and change the lay of the land for creators and consumers as it evolves and grows. The Epic Games Store is a titan within the industry and will continue to be for years to come. We will see if it can continue to run at these rates and rise above its challenges.”