Epic keeps supporting third-party store despite low margins

Last May Epic introduced a revenue-share plan that gives third-party developers the first $1 million in annual Epic Games Store sales before reverting to the platform’s standard 88%/12% split. The move has been an incentive for many studios, but Epic’s storefront hasn’t seen a large financial windfall.

Epic Games Store vice president and general manager Steve Allison acknowledged the difficulty: "It is hard. It is low margin. Like, no bullshit, you know? You can do the math. It's low margin. But when you look at the totality of the picture, it works." In its 2025 Year in Review, Epic reported $1.16 billion in spending by PC players, with $400 million coming from third-party sales—up from $255 million in 2024.

That rise follows a peak of $355 million in 2022 and declines over the two years after, so the 57% year-over-year growth masks a more modest 12% gain over 2022. The $400 million figure also precedes payouts to developers and the costs of the free game program. Allison urged looking at combined first- and third-party revenue.