Epic Counters an Analyst’s Claim That Players Only Use It for Free Games, Stating That It Hit an All-Time Sales Record of $400 Million in 2025

No one can deny that the Epic Games Store is the place to go for free games, but according to one analyst, it might not be enough to keep EGS sustainable. It’s no secret that gamers can be a fickle bunch, and one thing is certain: launcher fatigue can set in. While numerous gaming apps have tried to unify the libraries they offer, many users still rely on the one they are most used to. That being said, the Steam rival has received its share of criticism since launching in 2018, and more than a few folks have questioned how successful its business model has been given its almost notorious reputation of weekly free game giveaways vs how many it actually sells.

Epic has been very public in that it is working on overhauling its launcher and working toward making changes to its storefront. It has also recently announced that its launcher now supports Linux; a similar move was made by NVIDIA with its GeForce NOW app this month. Meanwhile, the question arises on if these changes will be enough to help EGS gain a greater foothold in the gaming market. PC Gamer asked this of Emmanuel Rosier, the director of market intelligence at Newzoo, who said: “I don’t really see how they can turn it around, because Steam has become so inevitable”.  As if to rub salt into the wound, “The Epic Games Store, they get players by giving free games, but people just go, they log in, they get the free games, they don’t even play them,” adds Rosier, who also compared gamers’ behavior to collectors who may not actually play with what they have collected.

Vice President and GM of EGS Martin Keely has since countered this claim by stating the Epic’s data tells a very different story. According to Keely, gamers spent over 2.78 billion hours playing 3^rd party games on EGS in 2025, but then “spending on third-party PC games grew 57% to a record $400 million,” while also adding that the forthcoming changes are expected to drive even more growth.

Newzoo has published its own statement regarding the above and essentially is distancing itself from Rosier’s answer.

“Remarks about the Epic Games Store published in a recent PC Gamer interview were not supported by Newzoo data or analysis and did not take into account relevant public evidence. These remarks should not be treated as a Newzoo market assessment.”

– Newzoo

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