Epic Games Announces Launcher V2 Focused on Speed and New Features to Compete with Steam

Epic Games has unveiled Launcher V2, an overhaul of its digital game store, in a new bid to challenge the market currently dominated by Steam. The company presented a 12-month development roadmap focused on adding community-requested features and improving the platform's overall performance.

According to the developer, the redesigned storefront will be considerably faster than the current version. The company states that the new launcher will be up to 6.5 times faster, addressing one of the most common historical user complaints regarding the software's performance.

In addition to speed improvements, the update will bring a series of unprecedented features to the platform. The new additions include the creation of player profiles, a user review system, and universal controller support. These additions aim to bring the Epic Games Store closer to the community tools already well-established on competing platforms.

The announcement comes at a time of restructuring for Epic Games, which has been seeking to expand its presence in the PC digital distribution segment. The lack of user review systems and the launcher's technical limitations have been pointed out over the years as factors that hindered player retention in its store.

With Launcher V2, the company intends to level the playing field regarding basic community and usability services. The expectation is that the gradual implementation of these changes over the next year will make the platform more competitive in the PC gaming market.