Interviews with former Epic Games Store employees indicate that, even though it offers free titles every week, the platform still faces major obstacles in retaining its audience. The store, launched in 2018 by Tim Sweeney, has stood out for charging only a 12% commission on sales, in contrast to the 30% demanded by Valve’s Steam. However, nearly a decade later, user retention remains below expectations. As reported by Steve Allison to Polygon, the strategy of attracting players with free games has not been enough to change the habit of migrating to Steam after redemption, where they purchase new titles and play in community. The main complaint from users is the lack of social features that encourage the formation of a community within Epic. Although the future of the free‑game policy depends on the continued success of Fortnite, the company has heavily invested to try to reverse this scenario.
The lack of social integration and the preference for already established platforms reveal that the simple offering of free games still does not guarantee gamers’ loyalty.
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