Epic, the creators of Fortnite, want to establish their own shop platform. At least the initial conditions could hardly be better. Does Epic’s new store have a chance against the giant Steam? Cortyn analyzes the current situation.
With the Epic Games Store, Epic is trying to establish a competitor to Steam. Currently, the selection of available games is extremely small. However, over the course of months and years, a real alternative to Steam could be established if players come along.
But the players might actually be the biggest problem.
Epic positions itself as a friend of developers
The biggest incentive for developers is likely Epic’s promise to take significantly less of the revenue from sold games than the competition at Steam.
This is how much of the revenue the platforms want:
- Epic takes a 12% cut on every sold title in their store.
- At Steam, this share is significantly higher, at a hefty 30%. Only particularly successful games can reduce this share at Steam to 25% or 20%. But that will probably only affect the top one percent, i.e., the absolute top sellers.
Epic’s offer is naturally lucrative for smaller developers who are happy with every sold unit and can keep more of the sale price.
Is moral superiority enough? But the question is: Will the players go along with it?
Is the “moral incentive” to give developers more money really enough to make players switch from their beloved software?
I doubt it. In the end, the price of the product matters to the customer. They will either shop where they “always shop” (Steam) or where the price is the lowest.
The Epic Store could score by having developers offer their games at somewhat cheaper prices, which would of course eat up some of the additional revenue. But if my highly anticipated game costs only €55 in the Epic Store, but €60 in Steam, that’s an argument that customers will feel more strongly than just moral superiority.
The beginning is marked by Epic with the announced free games in rotation. Subnautica, a survival game with extremely positive reviews on Steam, will be available for free in the Epic Game Store starting December 12. Currently, it costs €20.99 on Steam. A likely good argument for the player.
People like it simple
Players want it organized: A major obstacle to implementing the plan will likely be the “old-school” players. Especially we Germans traditionally like things orderly.
A Steam library with 120 titles, neatly arranged and sorted into self-created genres, is a nice sight. Any game that is not in the library is somewhat annoying. I still remember how upset I used to get every time I had to start Mass Effect: Andromeda through the Origin launcher.
Actually, it’s only a matter of seconds, but those few extra seconds that don’t belong to my “gaming routine” are already a nuisance that makes me roll my eyes in annoyance.
The average player probably doesn’t care whether developers have to give 12%, 30%, or 95% of the revenue to the shop operator. They just want to see their games clearly and easily accessible in a collection.
Steam has fallen out of favor
In recent years, criticism of Steam has piled up. The software is outdated and struggles with long loading times on various features. The community features are confusing, and the different community boards are so toxic that just looking at the thread names can induce nausea.
No wonder, as there is little moderation there. If you want real answers or help, you should look in the different subreddits of the respective game.
Steam has many good sides: However, Steam also has many positive aspects that should not be forgotten. Steam is still (and likely will be for a long time) the largest vendor and thereby offers a virtually endless selection of games.
In terms of customer-friendliness, Steam is also quite popular. The support has a good reputation, and the fact that you can return many purchased games within a certain timeframe to get a full refund speaks in favor of Steam.
Players and Epic decide the outcome: Ultimately, it is not the developers’ decision whether the Epic Store is a worthwhile alternative, but the players’. Because only if enough players detach from Steam or at least install another game collection on their computer, will developers also shift – as they need an audience.
It is undoubtedly better to sell 1000 games and have to give up 30% than to sell only 100 games and have to give up only 12%.
Looking at it soberly, one must say that the prospects for the Epic Store are solid.
After all, they have a very large base of potential users thanks to Fortnite. If they play their cards right, it could become a serious competitor in the long run… or it could just exist as a small niche like GoG and all the other platforms.
But let’s get to you: Are you loyal to Steam and have no desire for another platform? Or is it time for someone to finally give Steam a run for its money?
But let’s get to you: Are you loyal to Steam and have no desire for another platform? Or is it time for someone to finally give Steam a run for its money?
