For years the digital market for PC gaming has been dominantly taken control through Valve’s Steam storefront. It’s been around for years and most everyone that plays games on their PC has this client installed along with several games stored away. It’s been a reliable source as well for players to get great deals along with securing their favorite games on their digital account which means whatever PC they are on, the library of games is accessible. We’ve also seen several companies take a crack at delivering their own digital marketplace to combatant against Steam.
While many of these digital marketplaces didn’t hold up much competition against Steam, one finally showcased not only a great alternative but backed by a company that could compete financially. We’re of course referring to the Epic Games Store. It’s been around for a good little while and to stay competitive, Epic has made two major decisions that should hopefully keep players logging onto their client. For starters, one way the company has sought out customers is by striking up exclusive deals.
These deals are typically timed and it gives Epic Games Store the exclusive rights to sell the game for a duration of time. In return, the developers along with publishers are able to earn more money to keep their projects going. It’s not necessarily a popular subject online as we’ve seen plenty of hate towards Epic for signing exclusive contracts forcing those that love Steam another year-long wait to enjoy a particular game on the client.
Another way Epic Games Store keeps customers coming and it’s proven to be quite popular, is the free weekly video game titles they offer. Each week, Epic Games Store will offer customers a free video game title to keep forever just as long as they claim a copy. These games range from popular indie hits to AAA titles such as Grand Theft Auto V. Still, despite these two methods of gaining attention online, there are still some that find EGS to be lacking compared to the Steam digital marketplace.
Epic has been working to close the gap between what features are offered on Steam compared to the Epic Games Store. Today, it looks like EGS will start to sign off on another feature fans have been requesting which is Achievements. This is slowly being tested and there is only one game that is offering them at the moment, that’s Ark: Survival Evolved. We’re not even sure if you can see these Achievements listed out either. Still, it’s a small step in the right direction and we’ll likely see plenty of other great games get Achievements attached for gamers to unlock.
