Epic is pitching a faster, more responsive Epic Games Store launcher, but former Valve writer Chet Faliszek argues that speed alone will not give players a reason to spend time in the store. Epic also described the overhaul as “vibe coded” with generative AI, putting its development approach alongside its performance claims.
Epic’s launcher preview says the first release will be light on features, with a shopping cart among its commerce functions. The company also highlights faster downloads, game discovery, customization, and a consolidated view of a player’s games. Faliszek’s criticism is that these utilities do not explain what the store is trying to become.
Epic compared the initial release to a speedboat rather than a yacht. Faliszek interpreted the line as another jab at Valve co-founder Gabe Newell, following Tim Sweeney’s earlier remarks about megayacht supply disruptions when Valve raised Steam Deck prices amid component shortages.
Faliszek describes Steam’s guiding idea as an MMO. “It’s an MMO. It’s that simple,” he says, pointing to account levels and rewards for playing games as ways for users to express themselves within the platform. Trading cards, profile decorations, items users can give to one another, and awards offer small ways to personalize an account or participate without creating content of their own.
He acknowledges that Steam’s forums and comments can be poorly moderated, but argues that its community features still give players a place and a sense of agency in the service. Epic’s UEFN and Unreal Engine tools also let users create, but Faliszek says they demand more effort than most players will want to put in. Epic’s launcher pitch, meanwhile, has not made clear whether community will be part of the store’s direction.
Faliszek also traces the identity problem to Epic’s history. The company began with an engine, expanded into games, and then built a storefront around them, leaving the store without a clear guiding idea of its own.
Faliszek has criticized Sweeney before, including after Epic’s March 2026 layoffs, but his latest comments focus on the storefront rather than the company’s workforce.
What would give Epic’s launcher a clearer identity beyond speed and a shopping cart? For more on PC storefronts and the community features that keep players invested, follow us on X, Bluesky, YouTube, Instagram, Steam, and Telegram.
