Despite planned overhauls and the introduction of new features like personalized recommendations and integrated patch notes, the Epic Games Store faces significant challenges in reclaiming market share from Steam. Emmanuel Rosier, director of market intelligence at Newzoo, expressed skepticism about the storefront's ability to recover, stating that Steam has become too dominant.
Rosier pointed to Epic's strategy of offering free games, which he believes primarily leads to acquisition of titles rather than engagement. "People just go, they log in, they get the free games, they don't even play them," he explained. "You know, it's almost like collecting games rather than actually playing them." He noted that even these giveaways can sometimes indirectly benefit competitors, as seen with Blood West, where players sought to keep their libraries consolidated on Steam.
The analyst also highlighted Epic's broad expansion efforts as a potential weakness. "The challenge I think Epic is facing is that they try to win everywhere in the past few years," Rosier said. "They try to win against Steam, they try to win against Apple, against Google Play, and probably they run out of steam on where they cannot fight all these battles at the same time."
In contrast to its storefront endeavors, Rosier is more optimistic about Epic's role as a game developer, particularly with the continued success of Fortnite. "They probably need to focus on what really matters," he suggested, emphasizing the ongoing development and strategy for Fortnite. The game's recent integration of cosmetics from other major franchises like Sonic the Hedgehog, Pac-Man, and Mega Man, alongside characters from Persona 5 and Kingdom Hearts, signals a strategic shift. "I think that's an important trend I see with Fortnite," Rosier commented, "they are not afraid of other games."
This approach positions Fortnite less as a direct competitor to other games and more as a platform for cross-promotional marketing. Rosier speculated that major game launches, such as Grand Theft Auto 6, could potentially leverage Fortnite for trailer reveals or in-game events. He also viewed recent additions to Fortnite, like collectible "sprites," positively as they offer players alternative engagement loops beyond traditional competitive play.
However, these positive developments within Fortnite do not significantly alter Rosier's outlook for the Epic Games Store. "If you look at the Epic Games Store, I don't see how they can recover at this point," he concluded.