Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney Lays Down His Plan for Overthrowing Steam

We’ve spoken at some length about the Epic Game Store vs Steam confrontation currently happening in the PC digital marketplace. A few shots have been fired on both sides but recently, things have cooled a little bit. And I guess Epic Games decided that the peace didn’t suit them well, because CEO Tim Sweeney, in an interview with MCV, decided to both defend the Epic Games Store while simultaneously laying out his game plan for pulverizing Steam into dust:

"It’s nearly perfect for consumers already... There is no hope of displacing a dominant storefront solely by adding marginally more store features or a marginally better install experience. These battles will be won on the basis of game supply, consumer prices, and developer revenue sharing."

He’s talking about the number one complaint most users have with the Epic Game Store at this exact moment, specifically the lack of features. They only recently added a search function, but other useful tools that Steam has spoiled users with are still missing, such as a convenient mod workshop. But his argument – which isn’t an unfair one – is that at the end of the day, the game makes the store. So he wants to make sure he has the best games first.

"In this early phase, we are starting with a small number of carefully selected games based on consistent quality across a wide variety of scopes. Throughout 2019, the store will open up more widely."

He also spoke about how he thinks the games industry is going to undergo some dramatic change over the next five years – an easy prediction to make with next-gen consoles on the way, but still, he’s the expert:

"I think the game business will change more in the next five years than the past ten. The last remnants of the old retail model of gaming are falling apart, and the biggest successes are fast-moving indies and fast-moving big competitors – exemplified by Fortnite and Apex Legends. All of the old decisions need to be revisited.”

Is he wrong? Probably not. Is it sad? Yes. Yes, it is.

Some of us really miss the old retail model…