Epic Games Store Launches Its First Mega Sale

By Stefanie Fogel

LOS ANGELES (Variety.com) – The Epic Games Store just launched its first-ever “Mega Sale.” From now through Jun. 13, it’s offering up to 75% off select titles, announced on Thursday.

Additionally, the company is digging into its own war chest to give people an extra $10 off on every game purchase over $14.99, which means there’s no cost to the publisher or developer. The discount only works on games; it can’t be used on downloadable content or season passes. Anyone who recently pre-purchased or bought a game on the store will also get a refund in the next 7-12 days.

The Epic Games Store launched in December 2018 and quickly made a name for itself by offering developers a greater percentage of sales revenues. While competitors like Steam often take around 30%, Epic’s cut is only 12%. It’s also gained notoriety in the gaming community for its aggressive acquisition of timed PC exclusives like “Borderlands 3,” “Tom Clancy’s The Division 2,” and “Metro Exodus.” Its latest get is Mobius Digital’s open world exploration game ” Outer Wilds ,” which was crowdfunded on Fig. Some backers are unhappy with the announcement, calling it a betrayal of their trust. Other members of the gaming community recently voiced their displeasure over the Epic exclusives by review bombing the titles on places like Steam.

Epic also announced on Thursday it’s expanding its free games program while the Mega Sale is active. While it usually offers a freebie every two weeks, during the sales period it’s offering free titles every week, starting with No Code’s adventure game “Stories Untold.” Over 25 million free games have been installed since the store’s launch, Epic said.