The reason Epic failed to compete with Steam: “Epic is a shop, Steam is a community”

Epic fails to compete with Steam because “EGS is a shop, Steam is a community”, says Witchfire lead, as Epic has “nothing to do but to buy” - FRVR

One of the biggest advantages of the PC platform is freedom. Anyone can release a game anywhere and build a fanbase. However, on paid storefronts, a kind of tribalism exists toward Valve's Steam platform, where many gamers refuse to buy a game at all if it's not on that store. Adrian Chmielarz, creator of Painkiller, saw his excellent roguelike FPS Witchfire launch as an Epic Games Store (EGS) timed exclusive, but it later found massive success on Steam. With over 500,000 copies sold since its Early Access launch, Witchfire has become a hit for the studio, partly thanks to its start on EGS. The developer stated, “I’m really glad EGS exists. I think competition is always good. Simply for that reason, and thanks to it, I’ve gotten a lot of free games too.” Chmielarz explained that the early investment from the EGS timed exclusivity saved the studio. “Thanks to Epic, we were able to maintain our independence because our funds were running out. There’s a limit to how long you can survive with games like walking simulators (The Vanishing of Ethan Carter).” He added that the deal wasn't just good for the studio, but that the timed exclusivity was “good for everyone. We survived, secured enough funding, and were able to move to Steam.” He explained, “And Epic had Witchfire exclusively for a year, and after that, Steam players received a much more mature game because we spent that year completing the game and adding features with a small EGS audience.” Chmielarz feels deep gratitude toward the EGS deal that saved Witchfire and his studio, but he also understands why gamers don't buy games on the Epic platform. He notes that Steam isn't just a more mature storefront, but has become a 'home' for users. He explained, “People basically don’t consider EGS as home. It’s not home. I don’t know if it’s intentional or not, but EGS has no reviews, no forums. All you can do is buy. So it will always lose to a shop where you can also be emotionally involved.” Chmielarz emphasized that “EGS is a shop, Steam is a community,” highlighting that forums, guides, artwork, workshops, Steam points, and comments all create a regional environment where fans can interact within each game. “There is more happening in the community hub of every game than you can imagine. So it’s natural for people to be emotionally invested in Steam. As a result, they feel ‘My home is here, my personal library is here.’ But if a game I want to play launches as an Epic exclusive, it becomes a problem because now I have to betray my home library on another store.” Despite years of competition, the Epic Games Store has not developed at the pace fans expect. Just last month, EGS added the ability to gift games to friends—a feature Steam has supported since 2007. Chmielarz said, “Valve doesn’t rest. They add new features like a personal diary feature to Steam almost every week. They are really, really good at it.” Witchfire was originally an EGS exclusive, but the game has definitely found its place on Steam. Since its Steam launch in 2024, the player count has surged, and with over 1.6 million wishlists registered, the game is heading toward its 1.0 release next year.

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I used to think I didn't really use Steam's community features, but looking back, I use them way more than I thought. The Workshop for mods, checking forums or guides once in a while, reviews are way more visible on Steam, and you can see dev updates instantly. Does EGS even have patch notes? I don't think they do.

I think Lara Croft's look is the best possible compromise to satisfy both original and reboot fans.