If you're searching the web to learn more about the Epic Games Store, this guide has been written just for you. It's always a good idea to do a little research about online stores before downloading anything onto your computer or volunteering any personal financial data, no matter how big the company is.
A little background
Launched on December 4, 2018, alongside a presentation at The Game Awards 2018, Epic Games Store is one of the newer digital video game storefronts out there. It's available through the Epic Games launcher, as well as on the web.
Though its launcher and digital video game store are the new kids on the block, Epic Games launched in 1991 with its first video game, ZZT, an action-adventure puzzle game. However, Epic Games is best known for its flagship, Fortnite.
Future games released by Epic Games will be exclusively launched through its Epic Games Store. In addition to that, Epic has said it will fund game developers and have them release their games solely through its online store.
Epic Games Store versus Steam
Though Battle.net and Origin have their place, no one can argue with a straight face that they're in the same league as Steam. For a decade or so, Steam has steadily poised itself as the fulcrum of PC gaming.
Of course, some might point out that when it comes to value, Steam is less concerned with it than it probably should be. However, what some view as neglecting value others see as an endless stock of fun for all ages and interests.
I fall in line with the latter group since a profitable business can't afford to be concerned with appeasing a tiny group of consumers.
But even without the nearly limitless amount of games to choose from, Steam offers great community and multiplayer features, easy payment options, and seasonal discount bonuses.
There are numerous other PC game distributors, some worse than others, while others aren't even worth being a blip on the radar.
And while they all may have dreamt of being something similar to the digital distribution platform, none have been able to challenge Steam.
Nevertheless, times change and all it takes is getting one toe in the door for someone to begin challenging your position.
Fortnite was comparable to Epic Games getting its entire leg in the door, and the video game maker recognised this pretty early on.
By all intents and purposes, the bold move by Epic Games to launch its Epic Games Store is a direct challenge to the Iron Throne that Steam has been occupying for almost a decade.
And while there are some considering themselves "pundits" in the gaming sector writing that the Epic Games Store will never replace Steam, I wouldn't be someone who would bet my bottom dollar on it.
Nonetheless, I will say, if Epic Games does end up outperforming Steam, it has a ways to go.
Games, exclusives, and free stuff
While Steam has around 30,000 video games available for download, the Epic Games Store currently only hosts approximately two dozen games at the date of this article.
Some of the games are "unreleased," while others will remain exclusive to the platform for a year or more, including Satisfactory, Maneater, and Journey.
Then there is the promise of free game giveaways scheduled to take place throughout the rest of 2019.
If you're interested in downloading a couple of free games, Jackbox Party Pack and What Remains of Edith Finch are two freebies offered on the Epic Games Store at the moment.
Epic Games published list
Epic Games limited-time exclusives
- World War Z
- Satisfactory
- Genesis: Alpha One
- Journey
- Maneater
- Rebel Galaxy Outlaw
- Super Meat Boy Forever
- The Division 2
- The Walking Dead: The Final Season (but not free for customers who have already purchased this release on Steam)
- Hades (early access)
- Ashen
A few other games on the Epic Games Store
- Subnautica
- Darksiders 3
- Gorogoa
- Donut County
- My Time at Portia
- Outer Wilds (it's unclear whether or not Epic and Steam will launch on the same day)
Epic Games recently made a deal with Massive Entertainment to bring The Division 2 to its platform. And, interestingly, while this shared-world shooter game will be released on Uplay as well, the makers say that there are "no plans" to launch it on Steam's platform.
It doesn't take a pundit to recognise this as being a big deal. This claim is backed up by the fact that Ubisoft has decided not to publish 2K and CD Projekt on Steam as well, making it the latest big publisher to hold out on Steam.
Among other publishers who have been leaving Steam out of the mix are Activision, EA, and Bethesda with its Fallout 76.
When it comes to Blizzard, well, it never needed Steam.
The thing with Uplay is that it had been unable to achieve similar purchase as Origin and Battle.net. Thus, from a business standpoint, Ubisoft hung in with Steam until Epic Games came along and stuck its leg in the door.
If Division 2 is successful, you can bet that Ubisoft will continue to release future games on the Epic Games Store. More intriguing yet, will Assassin's Creed be released on Steam in 2019 or on the Epic Games Store?
Sign-in options
Gamers have six sign-in options when entering the Epic Games Store launcher.
- PlayStation account
- Xbox account
- Nintendo
- Facebook account
- Google account
- Email account
The Epic Games Store is clever but needs some polishing
As a reviewer, it's only fair that I click about the Epic Games Store a bit to gain a better understanding of the platform, what all it offers beyond what has been written elsewhere, and, of course, play a few of the games it offers.
I went on and purchased Supergiant's Hades (a great game so far!) to get a nice feel of how the Epic Games Store compares to its competitors throughout the buying and downloading process.
Look and feel
Being one who has downloaded an unknown number of games from numerous online shops, my initial impressions are positive.
Purchasing the game was simple and straight to the point. The designers followed the massively popular and trendy web design once inspired by Google in the early 2000s.
This minimalist design means that you're not bombarded with tonnes of blinking ads or confusing "download here" arrows intended to trick you into downloading something other than the game.
Another point concerning the site's aesthetics: I really enjoyed the game previews that automatically started playing at the very top of each offering page. Scrolling down, Epic provides large, high-quality sample shots of the gameplay so you have an idea what things look like.
It has nothing to do with purchasing a game but it's cool.
Simplicity in design or laziness
While the Valve store could be described as a "hybrid" online shop slash social media platform, the Epic Games Store is more or less totally dedicated to displaying and purchasing games. Whether this is a part of the company's simplistic design or plans to add features similar to other online game vendors has yet to be known.
The site's chat function is as basic as it gets, but I don't think most consumers care one way or another how fancy a chat's functions are as long as they get their issues taken care of. Again, this could very well be the point.
Members are afforded the ability to import friends from Steam but can't create a community profile. This aspect of the Epic Games Store site is kind of puzzling since it seems to be one of the primary default features provided by 90 per cent of big brand sites these days.
Since members can't create a community profile, don't even ask about forums - being that profiles and forums go hand-in-hand like scones and jam.
And while we're talking about things lacking, there is no overlay, no screenshot functionality, or any noticeable way to invite your friends to the game. These items are all things offered by most if not all other major online game shops.
Looking at things in a more positive light, I'm actually one who doesn't much like to link my social media accounts to every online service I buy into. Nor am I a big on joining forums unless I absolutely need to ask a question and customer service is all but non-existent (like PayPal for example).
After all, that's why there is a chat function built in.
Additionally, it's rare that any of my friends play the same games as I do if they play games on PC at all. With that said, as far as being able to invite friends to play the same game, it's not really a negative from my end.
Some things that are more than questionable
One thing that utterly peeves me is when game makers on mobile platforms display screenshots of highly engaging game art or action-packed preview videos only to find out the game is all but 2D.
The primary culprits of this tactic are freemium mobile strategy games such as Clash of Clans. Though Steam, Origin, and Battle.net are known for not enforcing it on a consistent basis, most of their store pages display in-game screenshots.
On the contrary, the Epic Games Store is sort of similar to Google Play in the way it represents "in-game" screenshots. Hopefully, this is an issue the company will amend soon because it's quite annoying if you ask me.
I would have expected such an experienced name in the gaming industry to understand the value of presenting more actual screenshots of gameplay and zero concept art and exaggerated posed scenes.
Furthermore, you have to be aware of any mailing lists Epic Games attempts to sneak in on you during the purchasing process. In some cases, you'll be placed on the mailing list of any game that has one (try finding one that doesn't) by default.
To avoid this, go through each step of the purchase methodically and uncheck where it says "click here to not receive emails from them with the latest information about similar products or services."
Important end-user license/agreement conditions I would highly recommend the reader knowing.
- "Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect from you and how we protect it." If "protecting" your personal information includes sharing it with all of Epic Games' partners, then apparently we've misunderstood the meaning of "privacy policy" all along. More on that below.
- We collect some information automatically when you visit our websites or use our games, game engines, and applications ... for purposes such as modifying or improving features, managing advertising ... " You can avoid unwanted advertising by carefully navigating the purchasing process and unchecking any attempts to clandestinely sign you up for "mailing lists" or "newsletters."
- "THIS AGREEMENT CONTAINS A BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND CLASS ACTION WAIVER PROVISION. IF YOU ACCEPT THIS AGREEMENT, YOU AND EPIC AGREE TO RESOLVE DISPUTES IN BINDING, INDIVIDUAL ARBITRATION AND GIVE UP THE RIGHT TO GO TO COURT INDIVIDUALLY OR AS PART OF A CLASS ACTION, AND EPIC AGREES TO PAY YOUR ARBITRATION COSTS FOR ALL DISPUTES OF UP TO $10,000 THAT ARE MADE IN GOOD FAITH (SEE SECTION 12)." I had pondered whether or not I should change the all-yelling caps to regular, sane people caps. However, I decided it was important that you know Tim Sweeney's attorneys are trying to get your attention.
- And they continue to hammer it in your head in the event you failed to get it (or read it): You and Epic agree to resolve disputes between us in individual arbitration (not in court). We believe the alternative dispute-resolution process of arbitration will resolve any dispute fairly and more quickly and efficiently than formal court litigation. Section 12 explains the process in detail. We've put this up front (and in caps) because it's important ... " I admit that I'm nowhere near being a lawyer. But I can also tell you I am equally nowhere near ignorant enough to allow Epic Games to strong-arm me into buying that. Simply put: two or more parties can make a contract claiming anything. Nevertheless, if one of the parties contest said contract before a magistrate, they do so by just right. Furthermore, the courts are the final say as to whether or not a contract is binding under the law.
Clearly, the entire contract is lengthy. Thus, it's not realistic for me to write a section dedicated solely to the entire Epic Games Store user agreement. The above should give you a gist of why it's crucial to read every user agreement so you fully comprehend exactly what it is you're agreeing to.
As things go in this day and age, many people merely shrugged the Reddit post off as being a "rumour." Many more still aren't aware of this troubling controversy.
Lastly, it's important for my readers to keep in mind that complacency and lack of knowledge are the enabling factors behind most cases where companies breach the trust of consumers.
The wording used within Epic Games' user agreement poses a threat to consumer privacy. Continue reading below to understand the whole argument.
Not long after Epic Games released its game store and launcher, a blogger on Reddit posted an in-depth article censuring Ubisoft for all but forcing consumers to abide by its Always-on DRM (also known as always-online DRM or persistent online authentication).
DRM stands for Digital Rights Management and requires customers to stay perpetually connected to the vendor's server by way of an Internet connection.
Many game developers these days require the same in order to prevent players from circumventing in-application purchases (especially when playing on rooted or jailbroken mobile devices) or bootlegging the software. The thing is, cybercriminals applications featuring persistent online authentication - they call it a vulnerability.
However, it's worth noting that DRM only works against general users who possess a little above overage knowledge about cracking software.
When it comes to highly skilled crackers (not the ones you eat), it's fairly simple to bypass most DRMs. Hence the numerous cracked video games for game stations, PC, and mobile.
Anyhow, returning to the December 2018 Reddit post.
The author pointed out that Epic Games had more than a few foreign investors backing it, a large portion of which are headquartered in China.
If you're someone who cares less about who and where a company gets its investment, you may change your mind if you knew said company agreed to share your data with those investors - and not just any run-of-the-mill investor either.
Tim Sweeney and his relationship with the dark side
The primary investor the author showed concern over is Tencent Holdings Limited (腾讯控股有限公司), one of the largest technology conglomerates on the globe.
It dabbles in about anything and everything worthy of being labelled "tech," including gaming, social network, e-commerce, web portals, along with everything else under the sun.
If that's not impressive enough, then to sum it up, Tencent owns hundreds of subsidiaries and controls hundreds of "associates" in numerous countries around the world, especially in the UK and the United States.
As is expected from any China-based company, it's known for showing little to no regard for consumer privacy (following in line with the Chinese government); Tencent has been proven to throw creativity to the wind, choosing instead to plagiarize countless software products and video games; Virus Bulletin, AV-Test, and AV-Comparatives jointly moved to blacklist most if not all Tencent software products.
Then there is the huge social surveillance apparatus that has been indoctrinated and normalized by the Chinese government, as well as by huge, governmentally controlled corporations such as Tencent Holdings Limited. In more words or less: for any Western company to knowingly sign themselves over to such automatically places them under severe suspicion, to say the very least.
Continuing on about the Reddit post, the author further went on to elucidate a troubling aspect of Epic Games' Terms and Conditions which essentially states that any user-created data is owned by it. Of course, this is only if you agree to such terms (terms that no one ever reads).
Thus, it begs to be asked: how many of you reading this - considering Epic Games' relationship with the likes of Tencent Holdings Limited - would agree to such dubious terms?
To expect Epic Games to polish up its site to be more user-friendly is quite reasonable. But when it comes business, corporations put pocketing your money and anything else they can acquire before ethics.
As long as Epic Games work for Tencent, I don't think the video game distributor will earn the same level of respect and trust as Steam, Origin, or Battle.net.
Epic Games has addressed several consumer gripes at least
This is not to say the quality of its Epic Games Store won't improve; the company has already made some changes, such as adding a search tool (one of the complaints from reviewers was the lack of a search bar so they don't have to scroll for days looking for a game).
Additional reviews complained about how the Epic Games' launcher didn't display an ETA for game downloads. In my recent test drive, I took notice and found that this alleged issue has since been rectified. Not only does it show the download ETA but the speed at which it's being downloaded.
Good or bad, the choice is up to you
Ultimately, when we chose whether or not we should or want to buy into one service or another, it boils down to what we're comfortable accepting. As for the Epic Games Store and its Unreal Engine, one would expect a tad bit more professionalism coming from a video game developer that's been around since the 1990s.
But a lack of professionalism isn't necessarily something that makes or breaks a company, especially if it provides a product consumers love like Fortnite.
As for Epic Games' user agreement that attempts to prevent liability claims against it or its partners, I not only find it insulting to the legal system and my intelligence but very suspicious as well.
And when you couple that with Sweeney's cosy relationship with the Mǎ Huàténg, acting CEO of Tencent, and who is a pro-Communist, it's enough to give me a long pause.
For those who know little to nothing about Huàténg, he once said at a Singapore tech conference: "Lots of people think they can speak out and that they can be irresponsible. I think that's wrong [...] We are a great supporter of the government in terms of the information security. We try to have a better management and control of the Internet."
In addition to all of this, Sweeney seems to be following Huàténg's business strategies as well.
Sweeney also fails to realise that Tencent, the developers of Players Unknown Battleground (PUBG), the precursor to Fortnite (making the two old rivals) is using this investment "partnership" as a sort of damage control - If you can't beat them, join them goes the old adage.
