Epic is going to add five new apps for PC on its Game Store on 22nd April. This is the latest attempt to show users that games are not the only apps on the launcher.
Epic Offers App Store Alternative
The applications that are going to make an appearance are Itch.io, the independent games store; Brave, the open-source browser; iHeartRadio, the app for streaming radio; KenShape, a tool for 3D models; and Krita, a painting app that is open-source. Since the launch of Spotify in December, these are the first apps for PC on the Epic Store.
Epic Games also promises to bring more apps for PC in the coming days, like Discord, the popular communications app. The Epic Store even has a specialized section for PC apps which is a clear indication of the company’s ambitions of running a separate Windows store. The move would not be surprising. Tim Sweeny, the CEO of Epic, has long looked to have open app stores and models on Windows.
The Windows store from Microsoft has not been successful in becoming the popular site for the immense number of Windows games and apps. Moreover, popular apps such as Zoom, Discord, Chrome, and Adobe’s Creative Suite are not available on Microsoft’s app store.
However, the company will be facing the same challenges that Microsoft did when it comes to getting developers to list the apps in the store. As such, the company is approaching the situation differently. The company will not be getting any part of the sales that will be made inside an app. This means for any game bought on the Itch.io, downloaded from the Store, no share would go to Epic.
As such, the company wants to see others also approach the situation similarly. Sweeny was reportedly impressed by the latest open model from Microsoft for HoloLens 2 and Windows.
