The Epic Games Store continues to add important features as it attempts to reach a wider audience. Changes to the Epic Games Store refund policy now put it in line with Steam, one of its main competitors. The new PC digital distribution service has also started implementing regional pricing in some areas.
Sergey Galyonkin, Epic Games director of publishing strategy, announced the news on Twitter. He said that the Epic Games Store now supports 30 regions for regional pricing, which accounts for about 130 countries. Most regional pricing is still listed in US dollars, but users will be able to purchase with their local payment methods and currency.
Perhaps more important is the Epic Games Store refund policy change. Moving in line with Steam, the store now offers unlimited refunds within 14 days of purchasing as long as playtime is under 2 hours. Galyonkin said users will still have to go through player support for now, but the team is working on a self-service solution.
The new refund policy is a smart move for Epic Games, who drew ire near the launch of the store for its frustrating refund process. At the time, users had to enter a variety of particular information in order to receive a refund, including dates like when the Epic account was created. The company moved to a more automated system, but the parity with Steam makes it even better.
Epic Games has been enjoying the immense success of Fortnite by putting its money where its mouth is. Earlier this week the company announced it would join forces with Improbable, makers of SpatialOS, following a spat with Unity. Epic Games and Improbable set up a $25 million fund to help developers affected by the Unity and Improbable split.
Regional pricing and local currencies have had their proverbial drums beaten since the Epic Games Store was announced. As it stands, many regions were paying US prices for titles, meaning they would be spending significantly more than if users purchased the game on Steam or physically. Epic Games’ slow-but-steady expansion of support is a good sign that the company wants to take on Steam across the world.
