The gaming industry is gradually moving towards a bright cross-platform future, and its approach, as the situation with Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 reminded us, is facilitated by Epic Games.
Image Source: Focus Entertainment
Let us remind you that Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 launched on Steam with “mixed” reviews, including due to the need to install the Epic Online Services (EOS) multiplayer client.
The publisher of the project, Focus Entertainment, assured that Space Marine 2 needs EOS to ensure cross-play between Steam / Epic Games Store and synchronization of friend lists of both stores, and linking accounts is not mandatory.
From Space Marine 2 reviews on Steam (image source: Steam)
Now, in a statement to the Eurogamer portal, Epic Games itself commented on the situation. Cross-play support is a requirement for a multiplayer game to be listed on the Epic Games Store.
According to an Epic Games representative, developers can choose any solution that suits them, including EOS, to integrate cross-platform features. The service’s social overlay requires additional installation on your PC.
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is also available on the Epic Games Store (Image source: Focus Entertainment)
According to SteamDB, more than one and a half thousand games with at least one review available on Steam use EOS. Among them: Palworld, Elden Ring, Disco Elysium, Hogwarts Legacy, Dying Light 2 Stay Human and Apex Legends.
As PC Gamer noted, Epic Games’ requirement for the game to support cross-play is not new: the company introduced it back in the spring of 2023, when it introduced tools for self-publishing games in EGS.