Since its launch in December 2018, the Epic Games Store has been considered by many to be an inferior online store when compared to its most imminent competitor, Steam. Controversy about Epic’s timed exclusivity deals aside, the Epic Games Store was also barebones when it launched and missing a number of features that buyers had come to expect from digital game storefronts.
To date, the Epic Games Store has no review system that will allow gamers to directly share their opinions about the games they purchase, nor is there a shopping cart, user forums, virtual reality support, or an easy way to view owned games without using the Epic Games Launcher. However, the company has added cloud saving, mod support, and a wishlist since the store launched, and a Discord-style party chat system is planned for the future.
Now that the trial between Apple and Epic has begun, a lot of information about the inner workings of the companies is coming to light, including the amount of money Epic has spent on exclusivity deals and the fact that the Epic Games Store is not yet profitable. During cross-examination of the Epic Games Store’s general manager, Apple’s lawyer pointed out another tidbit that many people may not have noticed. The “Top 20” list of top selling games on the Epic storefront actually showcases 25 games.
On the main Epic Games Store page, there is an area divided into three sections: New Releases, Top Sellers, and Coming Soon. A button in the Top Sellers section has the option to “View More,” which takes prospective buyers to a page titled “Top Sellers – Top 20.” Scrolling down this page will show that there are actually 25 games listed. How quickly this will be fixed is unclear but, in the meantime, this oversight on the part of Epic will likely become a conversation topic on social media.
Epic isn’t the only online storefront that has made some laughable mistakes. Just last week, Google received its share of finger pointing and funny memes when it announced that it would be adding a search bar to the Google Stadia store, nearly a year and a half after the service launched. Many found it ironic that a company that made its name by creating the most widely used search engine in the world had overlooked including such a feature on the Stadia platform from the beginning. Even so, for the moment, the new search bar is only for existing Stadia subscribers to search for games and doesn’t allow prospective buyers to browse what the store has to offer.
Source: Kotaku