Epic isn't announcing exclusive deals for the Epic Games Store at the rate it once did, but if it looked like one of the least popular PC gaming business strategies of the past decade was fading away, it's not.

During a conference call earlier this week regarding the Epic Games Store's new self-publishing tool (opens in new tab), Epic CEO Tim Sweeney said the company hasn't changed its philosophy around exclusives, but if it feels like there are fewer lately, it's He said it may be because the company has been going after bigger prey lately.

"We're refining our strategy by observing what has and hasn't worked really well in previous launches," Sweeney said. "A handful of major exclusives have really moved the needle. ...... And we found that smaller games, especially those with the smaller user base that are typically on Steam, a lot of those players didn't want to make the transition.

Steve Allison, general manager of the Epic Games Store, said on the same conference call that the game "has been a much bigger hit than developers and publishers expected."

Also part of Epic's ongoing exclusivity strategy is its relatively new game publishing division, which includes Remedy's "Alan Wake 2," a new game from Playdead, developer of "Limbo," and genDesign, the studio behind "The Last Guardian and several upcoming games, including games from the studio behind The Last Guardian.

If there was any doubt that these games would be Epic Games Store exclusives on PC, let's dispel it now. These will be exclusives "for a long time," Allison said.

These are just the games we know of that Epic plans to publish; Epic will release about 14 games in total from its publishing partners. These include "PC Building Simulator 2" and games from Mediatonic, creators of "Fall Guys," which Epic acquired in 2021 and is developing its own publishing operation. according to Allison. from smaller studios. Another game to be published by Epic will be announced at GDC later this month, with more to be announced later this year.

Allison also said that he has seen publishers distribute Epic store exclusives on a timed basis without any agreement: publishers want to take advantage of Epic's revenue share in launch sales before releasing on Steam That's why Rockstar released Red Dead Redemption 2 on the Epic Games Store a few weeks before Steam, Allison said.

In addition to exclusives, Epic is continuing its more general strategy of offering free games to attract new users to the Epic Games Store. The company announced today (opens in new tab) that the weekly giveaway, launched in 2019, will continue at least through 2023.