New Blood says Epic freebie boosted Blood West's Steam sales by 'like 200%'

According to Pcgamer, New Blood CEO Dave Oshry said Blood West's free giveaway on the Epic Games Store drove Steam sales up "like 200% more" on the same day.

Oshry was quote-reposting a meme with over 40,000 likes and wrote: "I used to think EGS was a Marketing Black Hole but turns out having your game be free on Epic is great advertising for Steam sales!" He also said console sales spiked. The piece notes Epic's freebie model remains frequent and, despite Epic CEO Tim Sweeney conceding some deals weren't good investments, the strategy is still described as "economical" for the storefront.

The article adds broader context: the store was rated 41% in 2024 for a barebones feature set, rough performance, and appearance, and surveys suggest many developers view Steam as dominant. Cases like the Blood West spike are presented as suggesting free Epic giveaways can act as advertising for Steam purchases, though the account frames this as an observation rather than definitive proof.

Key Topics

Tech, New Blood, Dave Oshry, Blood West, Epic Games Store, Steam