In its continued effort to win over developers and consumers, Epic Games Store has announced the Epic First Run program. With it, developers can opt-in and receive 100% of the net revenue in the first six months on the Epic Games Store. After that, the split will revert to the Epic Games Store’s standard 88%/12% revenue split. Compared to Steam, which takes a standard 30% cut from developers, the Epic Games Store is very generous with its default split.
Those who opt to join the program will also be showcased to users on-store with new exclusive badging, homepage placements, and dedicated collections. Any product that joins the program will benefit from continued exposure throughout the Epic First Run period of six months.
To be eligible for the Epic First Run program, the game must be a new release launching on or after October 16, 2023. It also has to be a new release game or app that hasn’t been previously released on another third-party PC store or included in a subscription service available on another third-party PC store. Any game or app with a pre-existing exclusivity deal with the Epic Games Store is not eligible for the Epic First Run program.
In announcing the new program, Epic Games also confirmed its store has over 230 million registered users, and 68 million monthly active users. Much of that growth can probably be attributed to Fortnite’s success, but also all the free games Epic Games Store has given away.
