The Epic Games Store is further expanding its non-gaming offerings with additional PC content, as apps like Itch.io, used by indie game creators to easily share and sell games, as well as creative and music apps have appeared in the store. They’ve all been organized into a new section of the store, and let you do everything from digital painting to listening to your favorite music.
Joining Spotify, which launched last year, the new apps include the art apps KenShape and Krita, web browser Brave, music streaming app iHeartRadio (only in North America), and the indie games store Itch.io. Itch.io is DRM-free, letting users pay creators for games that may not be available on other stores, and in some cases, games are released for free. You can use a simple browser-based version of the store already, but it will be helpful to play browser games offline.
Additionally, today begins a partnership between Epic Games and Spotify, giving Fortnite Crew subscribers three months of Spotify Premium for free. This deal only applies to new Spotify subscribers, however, so those who already pay for a membership will not receive the deal.
Earlier this month, we learned that Epic Games has been spending much more on exclusive games than it has been receiving in third-party sales via the Epic Games Store, with the company making a big push to cut into Steam’s market share. It also gives out free games every week, and this week’s batch includes Alien: Isolation.
Because of Fortnite’s continued success, however, this isn’t a huge revenue loss for Epic Games, and CEO Tim Sweeney views it as a big investment into its growing business. It could still be several years before the store is profitable, but it remains just one facet of the company’s operations, which also include developing the Unreal Engine for other studios to use.
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