Tim Sweeney: Games Sell Better After Free Distribution

We know it sounds counterintuitive, but games start to sell better after free distribution in the Epic Games Store. Tim Sweeney, head of Epic Games, made this statement in an interview Monday with GameSpot.

Sweeney doesn’t share any specifics, but states that the developers noticed sales increase in other stores and platforms after the game was given away for free in EGS:

“People have discovered a lot of great games that way. It’s been a benefit for game developers. Most developers who launch their games for free on the store found that their sales on Steam and on console platforms actually increased after they went free on Epic because of increased awareness and so it’s been a really positive thing and it’s brought tens of millions of new users into the Epic Games ecosystem and that’s been a wonderful thing for the company.”

As Sweeney explains, gamers are discovering new genres via free games. According to him, not everyone is interested in buying Satisfactory, the simulator factory builder, but if you give the game away for free, users will understand how great it is. They will run to buy it somewhere else.

In the interview, Sweeney also talks about his intention in the future to run EGS on iOS and Android.