Despite its ambitious goals and ongoing battles with tech giants, the Epic Games Store has failed to generate any profit since its launch almost five years ago. The store, created as a competitor to the dominant Steam platform, has struggled to achieve financial success.

In the midst of a legal dispute between Epic and Google, it was revealed that the Epic Games Store remains unprofitable. The conflict arose when Epic attempted to avoid Google’s 30% revenue cut on in-game purchases in Fortnite, resulting in Google removing the popular game from its Android store in 2020. This led to Epic suing Google for alleged antitrust violations, and Google retaliated with a lawsuit of its own, claiming breach of contract.

Amidst these legal battles, Epic Games Store head honcho, Steve Allison, testified that the store has yet to generate any profit since its launch in December 2018. Despite this setback, Epic still aims for growth in the competitive gaming market.

With aspirations to claim at least 50% of all PC gaming revenue, as long as Steam, the industry leader, didn’t respond to the competition, Epic remains determined to succeed. However, their store has struggled to generate any revenue thus far.

Despite the lack of profitability, Epic has continued to invest heavily in the store’s development. This includes offering weekly free games, securing PC exclusives such as Alan Wake 2 and Assassin’s Creed Mirage, and implementing the Epic Rewards scheme, which allows users to get money back on their purchased games.

During the summer, the company announced a new revenue-sharing model to attract developers. This model provides developers with up to 100% of revenue for the first six months if they launch their PC games exclusively on the Epic Games Store.

Recently, Epic expanded their incentives to developers, allowing them to bring their older or Early Access games to the platform through the Now on Epic program. In order to participate, developers must migrate their entire catalog or at least three games previously released on platforms like Steam or PC Games Pass by the end of October.

Despite their ambitious efforts, Epic Games announced layoffs of over 800 employees in September. These job cuts were attributed to the company’s need to achieve “financial sustainability” after significant investments in evolving the company and transforming Fortnite into a metaverse. The slower-than-expected growth of Fortnite as a battle royale shooter turned digital music festival contributed to the financial challenges.

Epic Games CEO, Tim Sweeney, acknowledged the financial struggles, stating that the company had been spending more money than it earned. While the Epic Games Store’s lack of profitability poses a long-term challenge, Epic remains hopeful that it will eventually generate a profit.

The Epic Games Store’s journey to profitability has been marked by legal battles, ambitious strategies, and significant investments. Despite ongoing challenges, Epic remains committed to carving out a substantial market share in the PC gaming industry. Time will tell if their perseverance pays off.