In a strategic move to reinvigorate its struggling digital storefront, Epic Games has announced the appointment of Martin Keely as the new Vice President and General Manager of the Epic Games Store. Keely, a seasoned gaming industry executive who spent seven years at Blizzard Entertainment as Senior Vice President overseeing the Battle.net launcher, brings substantial experience in platform management and user engagement to his new role. The appointment signals Epic’s renewed commitment to challenging Valve’s Steam, which continues to maintain an overwhelming presence in the PC gaming marketplace.
Keely replaces Steve Allison, who departed Epic Games in July 2024 to join Saber Interactive. During his tenure, Allison championed the Epic Games Store’s popular free games program, which has distributed hundreds of titles to millions of users since the platform’s launch in December 2018. Despite these efforts and Epic’s aggressive strategy of securing exclusive game releases, the storefront has struggled to make significant inroads against Steam’s entrenched position in the market.
A Track Record of Platform Success at Blizzard
Martin Keely’s appointment represents a calculated bet on proven expertise. During his seven-year tenure at Blizzard Entertainment, Keely oversaw Battle.net’s evolution from a game launcher into a comprehensive gaming platform serving millions of players worldwide. In a LinkedIn post announcing his new position, Keely expressed enthusiasm about the opportunity, stating that he is “excited to get started with the team delivering new capabilities that elevate player, creator and developer experiences.” He also emphasized his commitment to “shaping an open and sustainable gaming ecosystem,” hinting at potential philosophical changes in how Epic approaches its marketplace strategy.
Reflecting on his Blizzard experience, Keely noted that he “learned something new every day” and expressed pride in achieving “growth and record results as a platform.” Battle.net, originally launched in 1996, has evolved significantly over the decades and currently serves as the exclusive distribution platform for Blizzard’s portfolio of popular titles including World of Warcraft, Overwatch 2, and Diablo IV. This experience managing a platform with dedicated, passionate user bases could prove invaluable as Epic attempts to cultivate similar loyalty among PC gamers.
The Uphill Battle Against Steam’s Market Dominance
The challenge facing Keely and the Epic Games Store team cannot be understated. Valve’s Steam, launched in 2003, has spent over two decades building its ecosystem and currently boasts more than 130 million monthly active users. The platform offers extensive features including community forums, workshop support for user-generated content, family sharing, comprehensive achievement systems, and robust social features that have created strong user retention. Steam’s 30% revenue share with developers, while criticized by Epic CEO Tim Sweeney as excessive, has become the industry standard that most developers accept in exchange for access to Steam’s massive audience.
Epic Games Store, by contrast, offers developers a more favorable 12% revenue cut but lacks many of the quality-of-life features that Steam users have come to expect. While Epic has gradually added features like achievements, cloud saves, and a shopping cart over the years, the platform still trails Steam in functionality. The free games program, which has given away titles worth thousands of dollars since its inception, has succeeded in attracting users to create accounts but has struggled to convert them into paying customers who make the Epic Games Store their primary shopping destination.
What Changes Could Be on the Horizon
Industry analysts suggest that Keely’s appointment could herald significant changes to the Epic Games Store’s approach. His experience with Battle.net’s community features and social integration could translate into new capabilities designed to increase user engagement and retention. Epic has the financial resources to invest heavily in platform development, backed by the continued success of Fortnite and substantial investments from partners including Sony and Tencent. The company’s ongoing legal battles with Apple over app store policies have also positioned Epic as a champion of developer rights, potentially giving the platform ideological appeal among independent creators.
However, overcoming Steam’s market position will require more than executive talent and investment capital. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney’s recent criticism of Steam’s policies regarding AI-generated content disclosures, while potentially resonating with some developers, is unlikely to motivate mass migration to a competing platform. The reality is that Steam’s network effects—where the platform becomes more valuable as more users join—create a self-reinforcing cycle that makes disruption extraordinarily difficult. For the Epic Games Store to become a legitimate challenger, it will need to offer compelling reasons for both developers and players to make it their primary destination rather than a secondary option for exclusive titles and free games.
Expert Opinion: Keely’s appointment represents Epic’s most significant strategic pivot since the store’s launch, acknowledging that aggressive exclusivity deals alone cannot dislodge an entrenched incumbent. Expect Epic to focus heavily on social features and community-building tools that create genuine platform stickiness, rather than relying solely on temporary incentives. The next 18 months will be critical—if Keely cannot demonstrate meaningful user engagement growth beyond free game collectors, Epic may need to fundamentally reconsider whether direct competition with Steam remains viable.