WYP
News Guru
Epic Games offered gamers 99 free games in 2022.
Read more about the Epic Games Store's free game plans for 2023.
Read more about the Epic Games Store's free game plans for 2023.
The Epic Games Store will continue to deliver free games every week throughout 2023
- Thread starter WYP
- Start date
AlienALX
Well-known member
TBH I don't even want any of their free games. If I wanted them I would have likely bought them (or did) long before they were free.
I don't like their strategy. I think it sucks. They give away a load of games that I don't want, then when I do want one it's £59.99 for a broken mess. Their keys are pretty much full whack even on dodgy key sites too.
Steam have their sale, which IMO is much better. They are not forcing expensive games onto people by giving people who don't buy games stuff for free. And yes, getting people who won't pay for games onto your platform makes market share, but the cost? £59.99 games.
So whether people want to accept it or not? they ARE paying for those games.
Because when one comes along they do want? they have to pay out the ass for it, even though there are £0 licensing fees on a PC. Yet, even with the £15 that console games earn we are still paying £10 more?
That means a console game earns its maker £25-£30. Yet on PC? they are charging double that for what is ALWAYS a busted mess.
BTW this?
Epic Games has confirmed that they now have over 230 million registered users on the Epic Games Store, representing an increase of over 38 million over 2022.
Meaningless. All that means is they have bought a huge portion of their users by giving away free games, that the people who do buy games have had to pay for.
I really don't think there has ever been, or ever will be, a marketing strategy that I can not see directly through to its rotten core.
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Hating on free giveaways, in my opinion is, well im not going to insult the intelligence of those who complain...but makes no sense.
Its... FREE. Dont like the rest of the library? well go back to steam and get it there. People complained about FF7 intergrade being expensive on EPIC and hating EPIC for it.. oh surprise, it was exactly the same price for a long time when it hit steam too.
And the fact that they gained more registered users, like it or not... their marketing has worked.
Listening to that comment above is like the guy who went viral for complaining about a free bottle of water >.<
I paid for 3 games on Epic and 2 had been with the "free" vouchers they handed out to everyone for any title at all.
on a side note. Baldurs gate is free on prime gaming for those who loved that genre <3
Its... FREE. Dont like the rest of the library? well go back to steam and get it there. People complained about FF7 intergrade being expensive on EPIC and hating EPIC for it.. oh surprise, it was exactly the same price for a long time when it hit steam too.
And the fact that they gained more registered users, like it or not... their marketing has worked.
Listening to that comment above is like the guy who went viral for complaining about a free bottle of water >.<
I paid for 3 games on Epic and 2 had been with the "free" vouchers they handed out to everyone for any title at all.
on a side note. Baldurs gate is free on prime gaming for those who loved that genre <3
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Dicehunter
Resident Newb
I have 338 games on Epic, I've never bought any game on there but now I have a fair few really good games. Nothing to complain about.
KingNosser
Well-known member
I've picked up a fair amount of games with coupons when on sale, but some i dont wait for steam on the whole i hate the app, but sometimes the deals are ok.
it'll never be steam and they need a huge amount of work to ever be anywhere near, do not think they can ever get on par ever.
I even prefer the ubi and ea app over epic.
some deals are at times worth it but few really and while they gain people i think they have less market share than any app which is why they shout so loudly.
prices in general are going up and epic doesnt change that, but sale and coupon just means you save slightly but the exclusives imho need to go i hate them in all forms doesnt matter the company but at least GOG do things in a way to aid you to play older games.
steam is the goto even if that coupon isnt there i'd rather pay the extra, and one thing no other app can do right is sales steam has the complete package.
sure the free games are nice and sometimes it's worth it it's not all bad but them exclusives just taste bad and if steam done the same they would stand no chance, you only need to think of the vast income steam has that it doesnt use in that manner if they did epic would not be able to compete.
it'll never be steam and they need a huge amount of work to ever be anywhere near, do not think they can ever get on par ever.
I even prefer the ubi and ea app over epic.
some deals are at times worth it but few really and while they gain people i think they have less market share than any app which is why they shout so loudly.
prices in general are going up and epic doesnt change that, but sale and coupon just means you save slightly but the exclusives imho need to go i hate them in all forms doesnt matter the company but at least GOG do things in a way to aid you to play older games.
steam is the goto even if that coupon isnt there i'd rather pay the extra, and one thing no other app can do right is sales steam has the complete package.
sure the free games are nice and sometimes it's worth it it's not all bad but them exclusives just taste bad and if steam done the same they would stand no chance, you only need to think of the vast income steam has that it doesnt use in that manner if they did epic would not be able to compete.
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Steam do give free games also. Just not weekly. I had borderlands 1 and 2 free on Steam, as well as the Metro franchise, and some cool point n click adventures.
My point though is that you wont get exclusives for free. But the free games are well free.. so nothing is stopping you claiming them even if you never play them, and purchasing your needs or wishes elsewhere. Its like going into a store that is giving out free cans of coke, you take one, but you still go to the store next door to buy a six pack of coke because you dont like the store giving out the free can.
Exclusivity is everywhere sadly, Playstation do it worst (in my subjective opinion) but they have a right to, since they are or were Playstation games e.g. Final Fantasy series, Last of Us, Gran Turismo. It almost makes me want a PS to avoid the wait, but patience is a virtue I have
And I rarely buy direct from any platform given the prices. There are cheaper alternatives 
My point though is that you wont get exclusives for free. But the free games are well free.. so nothing is stopping you claiming them even if you never play them, and purchasing your needs or wishes elsewhere. Its like going into a store that is giving out free cans of coke, you take one, but you still go to the store next door to buy a six pack of coke because you dont like the store giving out the free can.
Exclusivity is everywhere sadly, Playstation do it worst (in my subjective opinion) but they have a right to, since they are or were Playstation games e.g. Final Fantasy series, Last of Us, Gran Turismo. It almost makes me want a PS to avoid the wait, but patience is a virtue I have
And I rarely buy direct from any platform given the prices. There are cheaper alternatives
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KingNosser
Well-known member
it's not the exclusive on each platform that bothers me so much, just the excluisves per app on PC, free is free no halm done in my view, but i dont feel epic can keep it up forever and while of course they get sales with the sales and coupon combo i have my doubts they are making much from the sales outside of that.
I atm as much as i'll use it the game has to be stella for me to want to get it early.
I just feel they will never gain enough traction to be on par with other stores and the key thing here yes steam have some free games at times and really good sales, but if they were going around like epic are and buying up games, they could do way more and buy companies steam has a massive budget if they wished to use it and we all know this, but they are good for gaming generally they while being the big fish have not made the big moves but focused on key things to make steam better.
cause i'm pretty sure if they wanted they could be buying up companies left and right if they done that no other store would ever be able to compete.
Idk how many billions steam makes but i'm sure it's billions.
I atm as much as i'll use it the game has to be stella for me to want to get it early.
I just feel they will never gain enough traction to be on par with other stores and the key thing here yes steam have some free games at times and really good sales, but if they were going around like epic are and buying up games, they could do way more and buy companies steam has a massive budget if they wished to use it and we all know this, but they are good for gaming generally they while being the big fish have not made the big moves but focused on key things to make steam better.
cause i'm pretty sure if they wanted they could be buying up companies left and right if they done that no other store would ever be able to compete.
Idk how many billions steam makes but i'm sure it's billions.
If I remember right, from EPIC launchers day 1, the free games would take until Q4 2023 or maybe Q1 2024 before they break even. It was quite shocking how much money they bleed when looking at the giveaways alone.
Does make me wonder how much money people still pump into fortnite just for cosmetics.
AlienALX
Well-known member
The problem is it isn't free. Free to who? Epic? nope. They have to pay to give the game away. Meaning money. They are paying for that to entice people onto the platform, where they will then charge £59.99 for the latest game.
At which point? it is only truly free to those who literally just download all of the giveaways and don't buy a game. Because the moment you do that? at the full price? you are paying.
What they are doing is simply an advertising practice. Of which they are paying for, and then they are charging the people who buy games top dollar to pay for their venture.
It's a similar mentality to when supermarkets all came up with their janky points thing. People THOUGHT they were getting something extra or free, but the reality is they were paying for it. All of the cost of for example, nectar points, was being rolled into the prices of the product. Which with the UK company who was "giving them away" AKA Sainsbury? they were then charging more for the product. IE, Sainsbury were historically more expensive than any other super market barring Marks & Spencer.
Sainsbury are really struggling due to the conditions at the moment, so recently announced they were getting rid of them. Most probably because to include the covering cost in the price they had to charge more, and people just don't want to pay more right now. So in order to cut their costs they also need to cut what they are paying in advertising/dumb campaigns.
So like I maintain, when you get a game solely on a platform that costs £59.99 with usually absolutely no way to get it cheaper? that means that all of those "free" games suddenly aren't free at all. And the monopoly premium you are paying on a game you want to buy is going to the devs of all of the "free" games they gave away.
In other words? it is a marketing strategy. However, as I said before all they are doing is inflating their user base with false figures. Like, the type of person you would attract? would spend most of their time on torrent sites any way, with the "If I can steal it I don't have to pay for it ever" mentality.
And as history has shown? you can not get people out of that kind of thinking if that is how they think and were raised with that level of entitlement. They STILL don't see it as stealing.
