Epic Games Store Free Game Promotion Backfires, Boosting Steam Sales by 200%

The Epic Games Store's strategy of offering free games to attract users has once again yielded an unintended and ironic result. A recent holiday promotion featuring the supernatural stealth shooter Blood West not only failed to drive sustained engagement on the EGS platform but may have actively boosted sales for the game on its primary competitor, Steam.

New Blood Interactive CEO Dave Oshry shared data on social media showing a dramatic spike in Blood West sales on Steam. The chart indicates a surge of approximately 200% in purchases, which Oshry directly attributes to the Epic Games Store's free giveaway. "I used to think EGS was a Marketing Black Hole, but turns out having your game be free on Epic is great advertising for Steam sales!" Oshry stated. He confirmed that the developer also received compensation from Epic for the promotion, making the arrangement financially beneficial despite the unexpected outcome.

The timing of the sales spike, as noted by ResetEra forum users, is notable. The game was available for free on the Epic Games Launcher for 24 hours starting December 20th. The chart Oshry shared shows a peak in Steam sales occurring several days later, suggesting that the free promotion may have served as a trial or awareness campaign, prompting interested players to ultimately purchase the game on the platform they prefer.

This incident highlights a persistent challenge for the Epic Games Store: user retention. Despite a constant stream of free titles and significant financial backing, the platform struggles to match Steam's community-driven ecosystem. Valve's marketplace boasts over 42 million concurrent users, a figure built on features that Epic lacks. Game-specific forums allow players to share experiences and seek help, a popular ratings and review system influences purchasing decisions, and the Steam Workshop provides a pipeline for user-generated content that keeps games fresh.

For many gamers, the convenience of having their entire library in one place outweighs the appeal of a free game on a separate launcher. The Blood West promotion also coincided with a holiday discount on Steam, reducing the price from $24.99 to $9.99. For players who tried the game for free and enjoyed it, the discounted price on their preferred platform likely became an easy decision.

Ultimately, the case of Blood West serves as a practical lesson in digital storefront competition. While free games can generate buzz, they may not be enough to overcome the entrenched network effects and feature sets of a dominant platform like Steam. For developers, the Epic Games Store's financial guarantees can be attractive, but as this example shows, the promotion might inadvertently benefit a competitor more than the intended target.

Sources: Dave Oshry on X, ResetEra Forums