Epic threw away the odds. By allowing indie game developers to upload their games to the Epic Games Store without a publisher, they are strengthening the realm of indie games, one of Steam’s great strengths.
The basic composition of Epic is similar to that of Steam. For $100 to upload your game, you can upload it, create a landing page, and fill in some company information. Notably, the Epic Games Store sticks to an 88/12 revenue split for indie game developers. The revenue share of most digital app stores, including Steam, Apple App Store, and Google Play Store, is 70/30. Developers can use tools from Epic’s Online Services Platform, and there are no restrictions on using Epic’s Unreal Engine.
But there are also some limitations. Epic doesn’t take Steam’s laissez-faire stance when it comes to overtly adult games. Adult games are allowed, but games rated as adult-only by the ESRB, such as porn games, cannot be downloaded. Multiplayer games published on Epic must support interaction with other gaming platforms, a requirement that Steam does not have.
Steam is still the priority platform for developers of popular games, but with the opening of GoG and Itch.io, the market is gradually opening up. Steam currently releases over 1,000 new games per month. Epic still has a long way to go, but the attractive distribution of revenue and users it acquires through popular, free games will support new challenges.
editor@itworld.co.kr
