Epic challenges Steam with its own PC game store – The Verge

Epic says its PC game store now has more than 100 million users

2020-01-14T10:00:00-05:00

Epic has some new metrics for the Epic Game Store a little over a year after its launch. The Fortnite developer now says the store has amassed 108 million registered users, thanks in part to the software doubling as the official PC launcher for the hit battle royale game.

Without monthly user stats, it's hard to compare that number with Valve's competing Steam store, which had 90 million users as of January of last year. (Valve has yet to release a more recent stat.) But it bodes well for Epic that so many people have dowloaded its launcher and that a significant portion of that number likely do use it at least once a month, even just to pl …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic Games will cover refunds of Shenmue III to protect developer after backlash

2019-07-02T18:00:35-04:00

Game studio Ys Net, its publishing partner Deep Silver, and distributor Epic Games have come to a solution to appease angry fans over the PC exclusivity of upcoming, Kickstarter-backed game Shenmue III.

In an upcoming survey, the trio plan to offer refunds to any backers upset the game won't be available on Valve's Steam storefront at launch, after Epic secured exclusivity of the PC version of the game for its own marketplace. You'll also be able to transfer your PC version to a PS4 one if you so choose instead, while those who want Steam keys one year after release, once the exclusivity window closes, can request them in the survey.

Epic …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic’s Rocket League acquisition made a messy situation even messier

2019-05-02T15:24:36-04:00

Epic Games' acquisition of Rocket League developer Psyonix should have been a game industry success story for the ages. Psyonix was a small, mostly contract studio that created a blockbuster online game that became an overnight success and now, a few years later, it gets scooped up by the cash-flush creator of Fortnite.

But in short order, the announcement became the latest controversial touchpoint in Epic's ongoing struggle to compete in the PC game marketplace with Valve-owned Steam. At this point, it seems like Epic can't do anything without whipping the PC gaming community into a frenzy.

Pysonix was known for years for its work contri …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic buys Rocket League developer Psyonix, strongly hints it will stop selling the game on Steam

2019-05-01T15:42:49-04:00

Fortnite creator Epic Games announced today that it's acquired the independent game development studio Psyonix, makers of the massively popular vehicular soccer game Rocket League.

As a result of the deal, Psyonix says it will have access to more resources to support Rocket League's competitive e-sports league and, by late 2019, will bring the game to Epic's PC storefront.

After that, it sounds like Rocket League will no longer be available on Valve's competing Steam store, though buyers of the Steam version can continue to play their existing copy of the game indefinitely and continue to receive support, which Variety is reporting includ …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic vs. Steam is just the latest battle in the dark history of DRM

2019-04-18T13:45:31-04:00

Earlier this month, PC gaming fans learned that the long-awaited Borderlands 3 would initially launch exclusively on the Epic Store, not Valve Corporation's older and more popular Steam platform, and a number of them exploded with rage. Steam users review-bombed the earlier Borderlands games, calling Epic Games a "scummy company" and its actions "a slap in the face." Critics posted a litany of reasons to hate the Epic Store, ranging from minor feature complaints to serious concerns about privacy and security. They'd made similar protests against earlier Epic exclusivity deals, including the shooter Metro: Exodus.

Other reviewers, however, w …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic vs. Steam: the console war reimagined on the PC

2019-04-16T11:57:05-04:00

There's a war brewing in the video game industry, and it's getting uglier by the day. Steam, the longtime leading digital distributor for the PC platform, is facing a significant challenge from an equally large and powerful player: Fortnite creator Epic Games, which launched its own PC games store last year. The ensuing competition has morphed into a console war-like debate for a modern generation of players who grew up under the unhindered dominance of Steam, a platform now facing its first real form of competition since it arrived on the scene nearly 15 years ago.

Steam parent company Valve has enjoyed enormous success as a game developer …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Borderlands 3 will be exclusive to the Epic Store on PC

2019-04-03T09:00:00-04:00

Last week, Gearbox officially unveiled that Borderlands 3 was in the works with a colorful debut trailer. Now, the developer has revealed a few more details, including when and where players will be able to jump into the latest game. Borderlands 3 is launching on September 13th on the Xbox One, PS4, and PC - though the PC version will be exclusive to the Epic Store, the budding rival to Steam. Borderlands 3 joins a growing list of Epic Store exclusives, including The Division 2, Metro Exodus, Control, and a trio of Quantic Dream games. Gearbox's game won't be exclusive forever, though; the game "will be available on additional PC digital sto …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic Games Store chief says they’ll eventually stop paying for exclusive PC games

2019-03-21T16:55:30-04:00

Developer Epic Games has been shaking up the industry in more ways than one since launching the massively popular and influential Fortnite in 2017. Starting last December, the company has been using its newfound wealth from the battle royale hit to fund its PC marketplace, the Epic Games Store, which offers game developers a more generous 88-12 percent revenue split than the competition.

In addition to that, Epic has been paying out large sums of money to developers to launch their games exclusively on its store, creating a particularly heated point of contention between PC game fans and the company. As a result, the store has grown to 85 m …

Read the full story at The Verge.

Quantic Dream is bringing PlayStation games like Detroit and Heavy Rain to Epic’s PC store

2019-03-20T13:30:00-04:00

Detroit: Become Human.

Over the past decade, French studio Quantic Dream has become closely associated with the PlayStation platform, thanks to games like Detroit: Become Human and Beyond: Two Souls. But now, the developer is expanding its reach to the PC, and it's starting with Epic's new game store.

Today, Quantic announced plans to bring its three latest games - Detroit, Beyond, and Heavy Rain - to Epic's digital shop as timed exclusives for a year after launch. The move comes not long after Chinese internet giant NetEase invested in Quantic Dream with the goal of reaching a larger global audience. Both announcements represent a dramatic shift for the studio.

…

Read the full story at The Verge.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney on PC store moderation: ‘We’re not in the porn business’

2019-03-20T13:20:00-04:00

Fortnite creator Epic Games is in a unique position. Not only is the company overseeing development of one of the most popular and lucrative games on the planet, but it's also now utilizing the success of that software to make its Unreal Engine development tools and, more recently, its online PC game store two of the most ubiquitous and disruptive elements in the industry.

One of the main architects of this dramatic shift at Epic is CEO Tim Sweeney who hasn't shied away from using his company's renewed influence and stature to bring about bold changes to the status quo. One of the bigger challenges the company is pushing forward of late is …

Read the full story at The Verge.