On July 1, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney shared a post on X, suggesting that Steam’s high fees are a primary factor behind the absence of several major free-to-play games from the platform. These remarks, however, prompted immediate criticism from gamers.
Digital game storefronts typically take a percentage of the revenue developers earn from game sales and in-game purchases. On the Epic Games Store, developers are not charged fees until a game generates $1 million in annual revenue, after which Epic collects a 12% commission. In contrast, Steam usually takes a 30% cut, with the rate decreasing to 25% on revenue above $10 million, and 20% for revenue above $50 million. Microsoft’s PC store also lowered its revenue share to 12% in 2021, although Xbox console sales still incur a 30% fee.
In his message, Sweeney explained that Steam’s high fees make it more advantageous for publishers with established brands and large audiences to distribute their games independently, citing Epic Games, Riot, and miHoYo as illustrations. Sweeney proposes that reducing the platform’s commission and adopting a more open approach would entice such publishers to release their games on Steam, ultimately boosting Steam’s own profits.
These comments mirror remarks Sweeney made during his keynote address at the “State of Unreal 2026” event in Chicago last month. Discussing the rise of closed ecosystems like Roblox, he emphasized the necessity for an “open, interconnected gaming ecosystem” where all game developers can participate, suggesting an industry-wide initiative he termed “Team Open.”
In a follow-up interview with PC Gamer, Sweeney was asked if he viewed Valve as a potential member of Team Open, to which he replied affirmatively. He once again highlighted the absence of Fortnite, Riot titles, and games like Genshin Impact from Steam, contending that Valve’s lack of openness is costing it a significant amount of business opportunities.
This stance isn’t new for Sweeney, as the CEO has consistently criticized platform commissions and payment restrictions. For example, in 2020, Epic launched its own payment system in the mobile version of Fortnite to avoid App Store and Google Play’s high transaction fees, leading to the game’s removal from both stores and years of legal disputes with Apple and Google. After the conflicts, Fortnite was eventually allowed back on mobile platforms, and Epic introduced its mobile game store. More recently, Sweeney strongly criticized country-specific commission rates Apple implemented in Japan in response to new domestic fair competition laws.
With this background, his recent criticism of Steam’s 30% commission hardly comes as a surprise. However, the remarks have naturally led many to question Epic’s own business model, with numerous responses on X citing the company’s announcement of more than 1,000 employee layoffs earlier this year. Epic manages not only the Epic Games Store, but also develops Unreal Engine and Fortnite, and the company attributed the layoffs partly to declining Fortnite engagement.
Sweeney’s claim that Steam’s fees are blocking major live-service games from launching on the platform and ultimately harming Valve’s own business is also debatable, considering that several high-profile free-to-play title have appeared on Steam in recent years despite its revenue share. miHoYo’s Zenless Zone Zero recently arrived on the platform, Wuthering Waves launched on Steam in 2025, and NTE: Neverness to Everness is set to release there on July 8. While it’s true that games like Genshin Impact remain unavailable, the rapid growth of Steam’s user base appears to be making the platform increasingly appealing to live-service developers in recent years. While platform fees certainly factor into publishing decisions, it’s difficult to assert that eliminating them would necessarily result in higher overall revenue.
Looking forward, Epic plans to release Unreal Engine 6 in Early Access by the end of 2027. The new engine aims to combine Unreal Engine 5 with Unreal Editor for Fortnite, enabling game assets, content, and economies to work together across titles. Whether Sweeney’s vision for Team Open ultimately comes to fruition (and whether Valve would ever decide to participate) remains to be seen.