Epic Games has issued clarification regarding its expenditure on free titles

When a smaller game is included, Epic strives to draw attention to underrated artists, devs whose work it admires

Epic Games said on Thursday that it would yet again offer free PC games each week of the year through the Epic Games Shop. But how does Epic decide which games to provide for free? The company claims that timing is key, along with choosing certain well-known figures. Since the Epic Games Store launched in late 2018, Epic has spent millions on game giveaways to attract new customers and support its fledgling game store. (At first, it offered a complimentary game once every two weeks; in June 2019, that frequency increased to weekly.)

According to Steve Allison, vice president and general manager of the Epic Games Store, Epic aims to release one "tentpole" game each month. The weeks get pretty massive, he says. When a smaller game is included, Epic strives to draw attention to underrated artists, devs whose work it admires, or teams with impending releases. Taking a look at Rock Paper Shotgun's list of every game that has been made available for free on the store, it largely corresponds with what has really transpired. We haven't yet seen anything nearly on the level of a Grand Theft Auto V or Sid Meier's Civilization VI, so I'd argue that 2023 has been somewhat light on big free titles.