Why Epic Games Should Be Worried About an Increase in Third-Party Gaming

by

For years, Epic Games has been a major force in gaming. They started with classic games like Silverball, then became known for fast-paced shooters like Unreal Tournament and action-packed titles like Gears of War. This strong foundation led to their massive success with online multiplayer games, most notably Fortnite, which has become one of the biggest games of the last ten years and solidified their position in the industry.

These factors paved the way for the launch of the Epic Games Store, which is currently more profitable than ever before. Although 2025 was a successful year for the platform, much of that success came from games developed by other companies and free giveaways. This raises a concern for Epic, as its biggest hits seem to rely heavily on these external factors.

Steam Had Third-Party Success, But Struggled With First-Party Titles In 2025

The Epic Games Store experienced significant user growth in 2025, though it remains much smaller than Steam. While sales of games from other developers increased sharply, engagement with Epic’s own games declined. This trend, highlighted in the company’s financial report, suggests potential challenges for Epic Games moving forward, as growth is now largely driven by third-party titles.

Epic Games had a strong 2025, largely thanks to the popularity of free-to-play games like Fortnite and Rocket League. Player spending on games from other companies increased by 57% compared to previous years, not even counting money spent on items within those games. However, Epic’s success relies heavily on these free titles, and their ability to create successful games themselves is a potential worry.

Player activity saw a boost from events like the Hogwarts Legacy giveaway, but overall playtime across Epic Games’ platform decreased by 14% compared to last year. This drop is mainly due to fewer people playing Epic’s own games, which supports the idea that popular live-service games like Fortnite might be losing steam. Despite these challenges, Epic has positive news, including strong engagement with their Epic First Run program and the launch of a new Web Shops service on both PC and mobile. However, the decline in playtime for Epic’s own games could become a significant issue for the company in the future.

Epic Needs To Find A New Niche If It Wants To Grow In 2026 And Beyond

As a longtime fan, I’ve noticed something interesting with Epic Games. While I still love Fortnite and Rocket League, and it’s cool to see them evolving, it feels like growth has slowed down a bit. It seems like Epic’s success lately hasn’t been because of those games, but because of all the free games they’ve been giving away! Those third-party titles are really what’s been bringing people to the Epic Games Store, which is great, but it doesn’t feel like a win just for Epic, you know?

While those games are also available on other platforms, limiting potential sales, it highlights a key issue for the Epic Games Store. Despite increased profits in 2025, it still lags far behind Steam in both sales and player activity. With Steam expected to launch the Steam Machine, potentially solidifying its dominance, the success of games on the Epic Games Store feels temporary – a short-term fix rather than a long-term solution.

If Epic Games’ most popular games stop growing, it could hurt what makes their store different from Steam. While Epic Games doesn’t need to become bigger than Steam to succeed, they do need players to keep returning, and their own games are a key part of that. If they can release another hit game, it would ease concerns. However, the potential decline of a game like Fortnite should be a warning sign, especially since its success has been due to being available on so many devices. The Epic Games Store currently looks healthy, but Epic needs to continue developing strong games to maintain its position.

Read More

2026-02-09 00:10