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Epic to add five new Windows PC apps to its Epic Games Store launcher

Date: April 24, 2021 Nandita Bhardwaj Nandita Bhardwaj
Epic to add five new Windows PC apps to its Epic Games Store launcher 
Epic is reportedly set to add five new PC applications to its Epic Games Store launcher, in order to expand its offerings beyond games. For instance, the Epic Games Store is expected to feature Itch.io, an indie game store, Brave, an open-source browser, iHeartRadio, a streaming radio app, KenShape, a 3D model tool and Krita, an open-source painting app. These new additions indicate the first new PC apps to appear in the Epic Games Store since the launch of Spotify in December.



Epic has committed to adding more PC apps to the store in the future, including Discord, a communications app. The Epic Games Store is also planning for a new section dedicated to these PC apps, which highlight’s the company’s ambition to operate its own Windows store.



CEO of Epic, Tim Sweeney has been quite supportive of open app stores and models on Windows. Microsoft’s Windows store itself was unable to establish itself as a popular destination for the myriad Windows games and apps emerging. Many popular apps such as Chrome, Zoom, Adobe Creative Suite, and Discord do not even feature on the Windows app store.



Epic Games is likely to face challenges similar to Microsoft, in convincing developers to list their apps within a store, albeit with a different approach. Epic Games, for instance, does not take a cut from any purchases made within apps.



Epic’s PC apps expansion announcement comes along the heels of rumors that surfaced recently regarding Microsoft’s plans to establish a new Windows app store. Microsoft is apparently working on a massive overhaul of its Windows-based app store. This could pave the way for developers to be able to submit Windows applications to the store, including browsers like Firefox or Chrome, and even third-party commerce platforms within apps.



Source Credit: https://www.theverge.com/2021/4/22/22395997/epic-games-store-pc-apps-windows-store-brave-discord-itch

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Nandita Bhardwaj

Nandita holds a management degree with specialization in marketing, and boasts of a short-term experience in the field of recruitment. Following her passion for writing however, she decided to pursue a career in the field of content development. Presently, Nandita pens down news pieces for newsorigins.com, spanning the verticals of business, finance, and technology.