Epic Adjusts Strategic Goal: No Longer Aiming to Rival Steam, Focuses on Stably Capturing 30% Share of PC Gaming Market

Recently, Epic Games Store Vice President Steve Allison clarified a major shift in the platform’s strategic direction during a media interview: the core goal of the Epic Games Store has shifted from “defeating Steam” to “achieving a sustainable and predictable market share,” specifically targeting a stable 25% to 30% of PC game sales. Allison explicitly stated that reaching this share is sufficient for the store to become profitable, and any growth beyond that would be “icing on the cake,” rather than a critical objective for survival.

Financial Performance and User Ecosystem
According to Epic’s disclosed 2025 data, total user spending on the Epic Games Store reached $1.16 billion, a year-on-year increase of 6%. Performance in third-party game sales was particularly strong, reaching $400 million, a significant 57% increase year-on-year. In December 2025, the store’s monthly active users hit a record high of 78 million. Allison specifically countered the external perception that the store is merely a “place to claim free games.” Data shows that 16% to 25% of new users attracted through free game promotions ultimately convert into paying customers.

Strategic Shift: From “Exclusivity” to “Coexistence”
Allison revealed that Epic has largely moved away from its early strategy of large-scale guaranteed payments for game exclusivity. Since the store’s launch, there have been fewer than 150 such exclusivity deals in total, with 120 of them concentrated in 2019. Current exclusivity is now limited to games directly funded and co-developed by Epic through its publishing division. He candidly admitted, “Our growth no longer depends on exclusivity agreements. It comes from increasing our share of sales for games that release simultaneously on both Steam and our platform.”

Addressing Weaknesses: A Comprehensive Overhaul of User Experience
Allison acknowledged that the Epic Games Store launcher has long been criticized for its speed and resource usage, lagging significantly behind Steam. In response, Epic initiated a complete bottom-layer reconstruction project last October, aiming to build a faster, lighter-weight client, targeted for release in May or June 2026. Furthermore, the store will progressively add basic community features including forums and cross-platform voice chat (operating independently of games), building a unified social experience across PC and mobile platforms.

Future Growth Drivers: Mobile Platform and Ecosystem Synergy
With Apple and Google gradually opening their platforms to third-party app stores, the mobile end is seen as an important future growth vector for the Epic Games Store. Epic is committed to integrating its store experience across PC, Mac, iOS, and Android. Additionally, Epic plans to leverage the marketing influence of its flagship game Fortnite by launching tie-incampaigns where purchasing specific third-party games will reward players with Fortnite virtual items, aiming to attract more PC gamers to spend on the Epic platform.

Profitability Outlook and Market Positioning
When asked about the store’s profitability, Allison responded that, if revenue from Epic’s first-party games (like Fortnite) were accounted for using the third-party revenue share model, the store as a whole is already slightly profitable. The third-party business itself is still in an investment phase. He emphasized that Epic’s goal is to become a stable and reliable component of the PC gaming ecosystem. “Steam is a huge part of the PC ecosystem; it’s not going away, and we don’t aim to overturn it. Our goal is to establish a place where developers can reliably sell 25%-30% of their games. If we exceed that proportion, we’d be very happy, but reaching that target will allow us to achieve healthy profitability.”