Epic Games has recently launched a new program for developers by the name of Epic First Run. This is an opt-in exclusivity program that allows developers to keep 100% of the proceeds from eligible product sales during the first six months on the Epic Games Store. After this initial six-month period, participants will revert to the standard revenue split of 88% for developers and 12% for Epic Games.
According to Epic Games, products taking part in the Epic First Run program will receive special on-store recognition, including exclusive badges, prominent placement on the homepage, and dedicated collections for users to explore.
Additionally, products enrolled in the program will be featured in relevant store campaigns, such as sales, events, and editorial publications as applicable. Once a product becomes a part of the program, it will enjoy ongoing visibility and exposure throughout its Epic First Run.
The program is available to developers and publishers with registered Epic Games developer accounts. Eligible products for this program are games or applications launching on or after October 16, 2023, which have not been previously released on any other third-party PC store or included in a subscription service offered by another third-party PC store.
When enrolling in this program, developers maintain the flexibility to release their products simultaneously on their own stores or launchers for direct sales. Developers can also choose to sell their products through Epic digital redemption codes or integrate them with the Epic Games keyless redemption program.
Once the six-month exclusivity period ends, developers are free to release their products on other third-party stores, all the while still enjoying the 88/12% revenue share offered by Epic.
Registrations for this program will open through the self-publishing flow in the Epic Developer portal in October 2023.
To keep up to date with the Epic First Run program be sure to check the program's information page.
