A recent leak indicates that the Epic Games Store platform may be preparing to announce a subscription. The popularity of subscription services has grown in recent years, especially with the rise of Xbox Game Pass. And as gaming companies see subscriptions as a viable future, it looks like Epic Games will be joining the list as well.
Although the subscription-as-a-service model has been around for many years, it only really took off in the gaming industry with the introduction of services like EA Play and PlayStation Now in 2014. A few years later, Microsoft launched Xbox Game Pass, which continues to be aggressively promoted to this day. Now, as more companies look to upgrade their offerings, the subscription trend in the industry is only gaining momentum.
According to a data leak, the Epic Games Store may have different tariffs, as well as additional discounts for subscribers. Additionally, there is a hint that one of the subscriptions could be EA Play, likely similar to Steam or a bundled offer like Game Pass. There is also an indication that limited trial periods are possible. Although the company has already launched a subscription in Fortnite, the Epic Games Store has not yet announced or commented on the appearance of such a service on the platform.
By the way, messages about a potential subscription from Epic Games appeared literally a week after Ubisoft announced changes to its service. The French publisher recently redesigned Ubisoft+ into two plans – Ubisoft+ Premium for $18 and Ubisoft+ Classics for $8. The Premium version includes access to same-day releases, select Early Access games, Ubisoft’s back catalog, and more. And the second plan offers older games like Fallout 4, Rainbow Six Siege and Far Cry 6. It is unclear whether Epic Games plans to follow a similar pricing strategy or will focus on the Xbox Game Pass model.
It is worth noting that the situation at Epic Games is ambiguous. In September, the company laid off 870 employees – about 16% of its workforce. The cuts were a result of the sale of Bandcamp and the spinoff of most of SuperAwesome, two companies that Epic acquired in 2020 and 2022, respectively. The company said at the time that the cost-cutting measures were taken without compromising development or core aspects of the business to focus on Epic Games’ “ambitious plans.”
2024-01-21 16:00:00
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