Nintendo’s eShop is a mess. Because it puts the shovelware next to everything else.

Steam isn’t so bad. I rarely find it unless I’m in the dark recesses of a tag. And whenever im curious if what shovelware exists, I just visit indiegala.

I actually really like it. I can’t remember if I got the game for free or relatively cheap. But it scratched the itch that Elder Scrolls Online had. In other words, it fulfills the itch I used to have when I played WoW nonstop as a kid, while also being more “action-y”, and you can play it solo with hundreds of other people playing it solo.

I don’t remember if there was a subscription or microtransactions were aggressive. But I do remember spending 2 months straight just going around chopping wood.

I remember quitting it because there was nothing to really DO with that wood.

“I used to think EGS was a Marketing Black Hole,” the New Blood CEO said, “but turns out having your game be free on Epic is great advertising for Steam sales!” Alongside the boost in Steam sales, Blood West also saw a jump in console sales as well while it was free on Epic.

That’s incredible.

Oshry is far from the only developer to point out issues with the Epic Games Store. Just recently, in an interview with FRVR, Painkiller and Witchfire creator Adrian Chmielarz explained that Epic doesn’t feel like “home” to players, and that causes many to simply clock out, saying “EGS is a shop, and Steam is a community.”

I have a lot of free games on Epic. But when I want to play with my gaming group, we’re using Steam. It’s just where everybody is.