Former Epic Games employees have stated that the Epic Games Store's weekly free game giveaways did not pull users away from Steam, according to a report by TheGamer. The claim comes from people who worked inside the company during the storefront's push for market share against Valve's platform.

The statement directly challenges the assumed logic behind one of the most aggressive customer-acquisition campaigns in PC distribution. Epic has spent years giving away titles weekly — at peak periods, on a recurring schedule — with the clear goal of building a user base that would then buy games and spend on the platform rather than defaulting to Steam.

What do the former employees actually claim?

According to TheGamer's reporting, staff who have since left Epic say the giveaway program generated sign-ups and redemption activity but did not produce meaningful migration. Players claimed free copies, then returned to their existing libraries, friend lists and workshop ecosystems on Steam. The former employees characterize the spend as a cost that bought transactions rather than loyalty.

TheGamer attributes the assessment to multiple former employees rather than a single named source, and the report frames it as an internal view of how the program performed against its strategic intent.

Why does this matter for publishers and studios?

The Epic Games Store launched as a direct challenger to Steam's dominance of PC distribution, offering developers an 88/12 revenue split versus Valve's tiered structure that starts at 70/30. Free games were a core lever in that challenge: a way to install the launcher, register payment-capable accounts and condition purchasing behavior.

If former staff now say the program did not move users off Steam, the implication for studios is operational. Exclusivity deals and giveaway-driven traffic may build short-term revenue guarantees and audience spikes without building durable store attachment. For teams weighing an EGS-exclusive launch or a giveaway placement, the reported assessment suggests the acquisition cost per retained spender may be far higher than headline redemption numbers imply.

It also reframes the competitive picture. Steam's hold on PC players rests on network effects — libraries, reviews, workshop content, social features — that a free copy of a single title does not dislodge. The former employees' account supports the view that those switching costs, not price, are the decisive factor in store choice.

What has Epic said publicly?

Epic has previously framed the free games program as a success on its own terms, pointing to account growth and the storefront's expanding catalogue. The company has not, in TheGamer's reporting, directly responded to the former employees' characterization of the program's effect on Steam migration. CEO Tim Sweeney has repeatedly said the store's long-term goal is profitability through scale rather than short-term margin.

What changes now?

For the industry, the report lands as Epic continues adjusting its PC strategy, with store features, self-publishing options and revenue terms all in active evolution. The signal worth watching: whether Epic maintains, scales back or restructures the free games program in the coming quarterly cycles — a decision that would indicate whether current management shares the departing employees' assessment.