The critically acclaimed Metroidvania Axiom Verge is available to download for free from the Epic Games store right now. The title will be available for no charge until February 21 and will remain in your games library permanently after the promotion is finished.
Epic Games plans to give store users access to a free game every fortnight with this week’s Axiom Verge being followed by indie darling Thimbleweed Park, available on February 22. Much like the PlayStation Plus free monthly game service, these titles will be yours to own for as long as you maintain your account on the Epic Games store. These accounts are free to create and services such as these make the store an appealing choice for players looking for an alternative to Steam.
News of the Axiom Verge offer comes after Epic Games announced that its store will exclusively host upcoming popular titles such as The Divison 2 and the long-awaited Metro Exodus. This exclusivity deal came as a blow to the Steam community who had already pre-purchased the game through Valve’s storefront only to be told that it would no longer be available through it. Developer 4A Games clarified to users that while the game would not be for sale through Steam, those who had already purchased Metro Exodus would still receive all future software updates.
In a bid to challenge the dominance of Steam in the PC digital marketplace, Epic Games is promising to make its storefront friendlier to both players and developers while also continuing to secure exclusive deals with publishers. The Epic Games store does not implement any form of restrictive DRM on games purchased through it while also taking only 12 percent of a game’s sales revenue, leaving the other 88 percent for the developer. Steam has also just recently begun to implement a new revenue split system with developers, now adjusting the cut taken from revenue in accordance with a game’s financial success.
The Epic Games store joins EA’s Origin and Blizzard’s BattleNet as yet another alternative to Valve’s dominant storefront.
