Epic Games Store Sees $820 Million in Player Spending for 2022

Epic Games has unveiled updated statistics and insights from its expanding PC marketplace, offering developers and publishers a glimpse into what to expect in the coming year. The company revealed that the Epic Games Store generated $820 million in player spending in 2022. Additionally, Epic Games announced plans to support third-party subscription services and introduce new 'content hubs' to aid companies in promoting their titles. Key statistics include: a 19% year-on-year increase in total Epic Games Store PC users to 230 million, 732 million Epic cross-platform accounts, and a peak of 34.3 million daily active users. The total spending on the platform, including Epic's own games, reached $820 million, representing a 2% decline, while spending on third-party games rose 18% to $355 million. Furthermore, 700 million free games were claimed, and the platform saw 626 new PC releases, bringing the total library to 1,548 games, a 68% increase. Epic Games highlighted that 2022 saw more PC game launches on its marketplace than any previous year. The company offered 99 free games throughout the year, valued at $2,240, with 70 of these titles achieving record-breaking peak concurrent user numbers on PC. The most popular games by player engagement and spending were Fortnite, Grand Theft Auto 5, Rocket League, Genshin Impact, and Tiny Tina's Wonderlands. Epic Games' priority for 2023 is to enhance the store launcher's performance and add support for third-party subscription services and live products by the end of the year. The company is also developing 'content hubs' to enable publishers to share information with users in a more engaging format. Following the launch of self-publishing tools for developers earlier this month, Epic Games is set to make further developer-centric announcements at GDC as part of its annual State of Unreal presentation.