Tech

Epic Games now allows self-publishing of games

Epic Games is the second largest digital game store in the market. According to 2020 data, it was estimated at about 15%Which is not a bad slice of the pie. According to research that compiles data from various sources, the third, fourth, and fifth positions are respectively held by GOG, Humble Bundle, and Itch.io. However, and surely you are thinking about it from the beginning, Steam’s position is unattainable today for the rest, with a market share that, in 2020, was estimated at around 75%.

Thus, on the one hand we have Valve striving to stay in that position, and the rest of the stores aspiring, perhaps not to steal the gold medal, but at least to reduce distances as much as possible. GOG, Humble Bundle and Itch.io move on another scale, but Epic Games has aspirations (legitimate, of course) to do damage to Steam accounts, and of course, that this has a positive impact on their own.

However, to achieve that change, the Fortnite Creators Store should take measures to improve their competitiveness with the Valve store, since its policy of giving away games every week has proven extremely expensive and not very effective in climbing positions or, at least, in achieving a really substantial increase in its market share.

Epic Games now allows self-publishing of games

In this sense, already in 2021 we knew that Epic Games wanted to open its store to self-publishing, and that at that time a closed beta was going to start. The idea seemed quite good, since it would facilitate the arrival of new titles in stores, as it is an affordable option for developers of all sizes, who could benefit from the sales conditions of this store, much more advantageous than those offered by Steam.

We had not heard from it again until now but, as the store itself has announced, Epic Games finally allows self-publishing on its store. The publication fee, that is, what the developer (or its distributor) has to pay to upload their game to the Epic Games store, is 100 dollars, the commission charged for each sale is 12%, compared to 30 % that Valve charges and, being consistent with its demand to Apple, allows the use of third-party services for in-app sales, and in this case does not charge any commission for them.

Opening up the store to developers of all shapes and sizes, something Steam has been offering for a long time, is a pretty smart move, as you can substantially grow your catalog without the company having to assume the costs of having to fully manage the amount of each new title. Now, of course, we will have to check the reception of this new self-publishing system and if, with it, Epic Games grows in user share and revenue, bringing its still distant profitability a little closer.

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