New 100% Revenue Program Could Bring a Wave of PC Games to the Epic Games Store
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Highlights
- The Epic Games Store is offering developers and publishers six months of 100% net revenue to bring their previously released PC games to the platform, a 12% increase compared to the standard revenue split.
- While previous efforts from the Epic Games Store to draw users have been criticized, the Now On Epic program is a powerful messaging move that shows its determination to bring more games to the platform.
- The program requires developers/publishers to bring a certain number of games to the Epic Games Store, depending on how many they have released elsewhere, with the goal of maximizing the number of games on the platform.
The Epic Games Store has announced its next major effort to bring more PC games to its platform. The Now On Epic program offers developers and publishers six months of 100% net revenue to bring their previously released PC games to the Epic Games Store. That’s not only a 12% increase compared to the Epic Games Store’s standard 88/12% revenue split, but powerful messaging. Epic wants games on its platform so badly that it’s willing to cut itself out of revenue.
Up until now, the Epic Games Store has been criticized for some of its efforts to draw users to its growing platform. That starts with Epic’s investment into PC storefront exclusivity, preventing them from launching on Steam for a certain amount of time. Other efforts have been received more positively, but their impact is questionable. The 88/12% revenue split and the continued offering of free games are both great, but may not be drawing publishers or gamers away from Steam.
The new effort from the Epic Games Store to bring PC games to the platform is called Now On Epic, and it’s targeting games released prior to October 31, 2023. The deal is that developers or publishers that have previously released a game or games either on a different PC storefront or via a PC subscription service can bring it to the Epic Games Store and receive 100% of net revenue for six months. After six months, the contract will revert to the Epic Games Store’s standard 88/12% revenue split.
There is one big catch, though. The more games a developer/publisher has released on Steam, Xbox Game Pass, or elsewhere on PC, the more they have to bring to the Epic Games Store. If a developer or publisher has three or more games released, they must bring at least three to the Epic Games Store. If they have less than three, they have to bring all of those games over. The goal of the Now On Epic program is to bring as many games to the Epic Games Store as possible.
Epic makes note of a few additional rules associated with the No One Epic program. All games must be released on the Epic Games Store by June 30, 2025, for one. So publishers can’t claim to be following the program and then fail to deliver. Further, Early Access games are included, though they have to have been released prior to October 31 just like any other game. Perhaps a few indie games will see that as an opportunity and will rush to launch in the next two weeks.
While the Now On Epic program is an interesting opportunity for game developers and publishers, it perhaps belies a deeper conflict at the Epic Games Store. In September, Epic Games laid off 16% of its workforce, over 850 employees. CEO Tim Sweeney said at the time the layoffs would allow Epic to, “get to the other side of profitability,” even if certain products were left under-resourced for a time. The Now On Epic program may have come at a cost, and may not guarantee results, either. A developer that would pass over the Epic Game Store‘s 88% revenue share may be one that passes over a 100% share, too.
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