Epic Games Store GM Steve Allison Says Steam Will Not Be Toppled as Epic Bets on Co Existence and a Rebuilt Launcher
Epic has published its Epic Games Store year in review update, outlining a set of headline wins in third party monetization and user reach, while also exposing a meaningful engagement dip that highlights how difficult it is to scale a storefront into a true daily destination on PC. According to Epic’s published figures, third party game spending on PC rose 57% year over year, total PC users climbed past 317 million, and monthly active users hit 78 million in December 2025, a new high that Epic says was boosted by the giveaway of Hogwarts Legacy that added around 6 million users. At the same time, playtime spent with third party games increased 4%, but total engagement across all Epic Games Store titles fell 14%, signaling a slowdown in first party gravity from anchor titles such as Fortnite and Rocket League.
That strategic reality is at the center of a candid interview with Epic Games Store General Manager Steve Allison, published by GamesIndustry.biz. In the interview, Allison openly states that Epic is not going to topple Valve’s Steam, positioning Steam as an enduring pillar of the PC ecosystem rather than an opponent that can be displaced. Instead, the tone shifts toward a pragmatic growth thesis built around coexistence, building enough share to matter for publishers and players, and improving the product fundamentals that have historically drawn criticism from PC gamers.
Allison also addresses the store’s most consistent pain point: the launcher experience. He acknowledges that criticism is not wrong and explains that the existing launcher was built on a foundation originally designed for Fortnite and Paragon, then expanded rapidly over time. That legacy framework has resulted in slow performance and a brittle experience, which Allison describes as building on a house of cards. Epic’s answer is not another patch cycle but a full rebuild. Allison says Epic decided in October 2025 to remake the Epic Games Launcher from the ground up, with a target release window of May 2026 or June 2026, and one of the immediate wins being a library that loads almost instantly. This is a critical operational pivot because store adoption is not just driven by pricing and giveaways anymore. It is driven by friction, speed, reliability, and trust that the platform will not get in the way of play.
Looking forward, Allison frames mobile as a major growth vector following the launch of mobile versions in August 2024, while maintaining a clear ambition for PC scale as well. In the same interview, he points to a medium horizon target of reaching 100 million monthly active users on PC over the next 4 years, alongside an aggressive plan to push spend share to 20 to 30%. If Epic can combine a faster launcher with sustained third party sales growth, it strengthens the store’s positioning as a meaningful second pillar for publishers, even if Steam remains the top of the funnel for the broader PC ecosystem.
From a gamer and industry watcher perspective, the key takeaway is that Epic’s strategy is evolving from disruption to durability. The giveaways and exclusives era established awareness, but the next phase is about turning that awareness into repeat behavior. The year in review numbers show Epic can drive revenue momentum for third party titles, but the 14% decline in total gameplay hours is a warning sign that long term engagement needs stronger product experience, better social discovery, and fewer workflow hurdles. Epic’s rebuild roadmap is essentially an admission that store wars are won in usability, not just in marketing spend.
If Epic’s rebuilt launcher delivers a fast and stable experience in May 2026 or June 2026, what would it need next to become part of your daily PC gaming routine alongside Steam?
