Epic Games has decided to throw the gaming industry into a tailspin by revealing a bold new opt-in exclusivity program.
The Epic First Run program allows third-party developers to keep 100 per cent of the profits from all new titles for a limited time in exchange for exclusivity on the Epic Games Store.
Developers participating in the Epic First Run program can keep all the profits from new games that launch on or after the 16th of October for six months, provided it hasn’t been offered on another third-party digital storefront before.
After those six months, the revenue will return to Epic’s usual deal, which sees 88% go to developers and 12% to Epic.
However, there is a slight catch: during the first six months, developers who take advantage of this program won’t be allowed to sell their games on storefronts other than an Epic or their own first-party digital site.
Developers can also use Epic’s keyless redemption program to sell through Epic partners like Humble Bundle or GOG.
The Epic First Run program will be available to developers of any scale. It will offer the developers additional perks in exchange for those six months of exclusivity, including showing up on Epic’s homepage.
Epic has been on a campaign to attract developers lately. In March, the company released a collection of self-publishing tools designed to help creators and publishers release their games onto the digital store.