Epic Games Store: Cloud Saves (Finally), Achievements, More On The Way

Epic has released its 2019 roadmap. The full roadmap can be viewed on Trello, but Epic has said that any new features listed are "subject to change."

Exact timetables are not provided for each feature, with each one falling into a category of one-three months, four-six months, or long-term (more than six months). In the short-term, Epic isn't implementing too many major features. The company plans to redesign the Epic Games Store's website, and add search tools that utilize both genre and tags. The Epic Game Store will also start hosting video, provide an "optimized delta solution" to help developers reduce the size of game patches, support DLC add-ons, and streamline the sign-in process to allow players to "get into their offline games faster." The one major feature during this window of time is cloud saves support--a long-requested addition from the Epic Games Store community.

You'll see a lot more community-requested features added in the mid- to long-term. In four-six months, Epic plans on adding user reviews, wish lists, additional payment methods/currencies, player time tracking, and mod support. The Epic Game Store is also scheduled to see improvements to its newsfeed and follow features, as well additional sorting and filtering methods for its game library. In the long-term, the Epic Game Store will support game achievements, direct carrier billing, and a shopping cart. Epic also plans on overhauling the store's social features as well.

Epic has a few more improvements scheduled for its game store that don't have any planned date. These include more generalized PC game store features, such as automated refunds and gifting, and specific ones, like an Arabic translation for the store and support for games that released in Korea. Epic also plans to have the Epic Games Store be accessible on Android devices.

Getting these features out the door is important for the survival of the Epic Games Store, as many of them already exist on its number one competitor, Steam. The Epic Games Store has managed to attract an audience by securing several major triple-A 2019 releases, such as Metro Exodus and The Division 2. However, PC gamers have come to expect many of the features listed above, and will probably gravitate back to Steam if all the Epic Games Store can deliver is a few good exclusives.

The Epic Games Store also offers a free game every two weeks. Right now, you can download the indie game Slime Rancher, which is normally $20 USD on PC. Slime Rancher will be available until March 21, when it will be replaced by Oxenfree.