Is The Epic Games Store Running Out Of Games To Give Away?
In terms of the problems one can have, this one is about as first-worldly as it gets. Yet the topic is still on our minds, especially since Epic started giving away one game per day in its "12 days of Christmas" celebration. Is the Epic Games Store finally running out of freebies? Have we reached the end of the line?
Today's free game is Hyper Light Drifter, which is a fantastic action RPG that shouldn't be missed. But you might speed your way to the store page only to find that you own it already. This is because Epic handed out copies of Hyper Light Drifter back in August.
This isn't the first game to make a repeat appearance, either. A few days ago, Celeste showed up as the free game of the day. Celeste is an amazing platformer and another must-have, can't-miss download. But it, too, was already free on the Epic Games Store. It also showed up this past August.
It's tough to complain about free games — and we're by no means suggesting you should — as Epic isn't collecting a subscription fee from users. This isn't a PlayStation Plus or Xbox Live Gold situation, where a repeat would feel like a slap in the face to those who pay for the privilege. But it does have us wondering if Epic is ready to wrap things up. Giving away free games — something Epic has done since last year — can't be cheap. And the duplicate entries seem to suggest that snagging new titles for the promotion isn't a trivial task.
The Epic Games Store launched in December of last year, pledging to give away a free game every two weeks until the end of 2019. That shifted to one game a week in the middle of 2019, and on occasion, players actually received two games per week (thanks to some titles having M ratings). Epic has more than kept its original promise. We have a huge library of great games now thanks to all the freebies. We just can't shake the feeling, though, that Epic is running the clock out now.
Once 2020 rolls around, don't be surprised if Epic isn't in a hurry to keep the free games train rolling.