James Lucas is an Executive Editor from Newcastle, England. They have byelines across a wealth of outlets, such as IGN, NME, GaymingMag, and VG247, with a special focus on FPS games, Soulslikes, and survival horror.
Epic Games Store is a bit of a hot button in gaming, often derided for its lack of basic features — like introducing a shopping cart years after its digital doors opened — and exclusivity deals, but the team remains undeterred in trying to get out from under Steam’s shadow.
According to reputable leaker Hypex, Fortnite now aims to launch 100 gaming collabs each year as part of the EGS gift-with-purchase program, i.e. if you buy a game on the store, you’ll get a free cosmetic. Presumably, the idea is to get people who only use EGS for Fortnite to remain within its ecosystem by rewarding them for buying games on the platform.
The Initiative Will Reportedly Start With Resident Evil: Requiem
Larian Studios head of publishing Michael ‘Very AFK’ Douse recently spoke out against EGS and its supposed altruistic goals, noting how the exclusivity deal undoubtedly hurt Alan Wake 2’s sales among other titles. In that same thread, he also touched on his doubts about Fortnite being a useful vehicle to bolster the platform.
“Ultimately, the viability of the store sits on their ability to convert hundreds of millions of Fortnite players into mid-hardcore premium gamers, and I don’t see the Fortnite brand attempting to do that,” he argued.
Giving away entire games for free has done little to help, never mind cosmetics; Blood West even saw a boost in Steam sales when it was offered on EGS.
Regardless, as per Hypex, this initiative will roll out next month, starting with the Resident Evil: Requiem collab. Though it’s worth noting that 100 crossovers doesn’t necessarily mean 100 new skins — these could vary from backbling and gliders to pickaxes, much as we saw with the 28 Years Later: The Bone Temple bundle.
- Released
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September 26, 2017
- ESRB
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T for Teen – Diverse Content: Discretion Advised, In-Game Purchases, Users Interact
