On Twitter, Sweeney explains that Epic Games chose the 12% number to provide “super-competitive deals for partners” while making sure that the Epic Games Store is a “profitable” business for the company. Sweeney also said that Epic Games makes approximately 5% profit from that 12%, and this could grow to 6-7% as the store grows. Epic Games’ costs are for running Fortnite, payment processing, and customer service.
This isn’t the first time that Sweeney has slammed the high rates taken by some storefronts. The 30% cut that Google takes for Google Play microtransactions is why Epic Games chose to release Fortnite on its own launcher, and not on Google Play. The move did lead to some confusion among fans, and there were security fears as phishing scams targeted users looking for the real version of the game. However, the removal of the 30% Google Play fee will have likely made up for any profit losses over this.
Sweeney’s tweets may also help to put things in perspective for players who have criticized Epic Games for creating yet another launcher to play PC games. With Epic Games paying big money for exclusive games like Metro Exodus and Borderlands 3, they have no choice but to use the new platform. However, when looking at the difference in revenue and understanding how developers could use that extra cash (for job security and to create new content for a game) some gamers may have less negative opinions about the Epic Games Store.
Source: Twitter - Tim Sweeney
