Bandai Namco isn't interested in making its games exclusive to Epic Games Store
Japanese publisher Bandai Namco has explained why it has yet to bring any of its games to the Epic Games Store.
Since its inception, the Epic Games Store has been snatching up one exclusive after another, with Epic courting developers big and small for one-year exclusivity deals that would see their anticipated titles available only on Epic's platform.
Epic's plan hinges on exclusivity, seeing as its platform can't compete with Steam on features or even catalogue, but not everyone is happy to make a deal with the maker of Fortnite.
"Epic is just another store. It’s fantastic, they have a lot of strength and [lots of] users, the business model is attractive to us because it’s more profitable but still, their interest is, if I’m correct, exclusivity," Bandai Namco Entertainment Europe SVP of marketing, digital and content Herve Hoerdt told MCV. "And this is not our vision."
"So for instance, I don’t see any point of putting Tekken 7 on Epic Store," he added. "We want our content to be available for as many fans as possible.
"I don’t think we’ll deal with Epic in the short term, while we have this strategy. But of course, if they’re open, we’ll go there."
Hoerdt explained that while Bandai Namco is enthusiastic about Epic's reach with Fortnite, and the potential for audience growth, the company needs to do the best for every platform. For PC, that remains releasing on Steam.
"The main focus for us is the consumer and the brand. And for each brand we decide what’s the best way to satisfy the consumer and to engage the widest audience possible," said Hoerdt.
Bandai Namco's upcoming games include Code Vein, Elden Ring, and Dragon Ball Z: Kakarot, but the publisher has also been taking chances on a number of smaller titles like The Dark Pictures – Man of Medan, Double Fine's Rad, and Little Nightmares, which recently revealed a sequel.