Epic Games Store Will Soon Get Text Chat, Party Chat, And Voice Chat
Although Epic Games is the acclaimed developer behind Fortnite, it's important to remember the company isn't just known for the battle royale favourite. Aside from Fortnite and its various modes, Epic has developed the Gears of War games, Infinity Blade, Battle Breakers, and has an upcoming mobile release of Spyjinx. Away from in-house development, the Epic Games Store boasts PC releases of everything from Grand Theft Auto V to Hitman 3 and also boasts free games like Rocket League and Surviving Mars.
Epic has something for everyone and gives Steam a run for its money. As video games head into a new generation, Epic is also giving its storefront a facelift. Looking at Fortnite, co-operative play is a huge part of its battle royale mode and forming squads. Although the chat feature can easily be turned off, there are those of us who insist on jumping off the Battle Bus and coordinating our own squads like our very own Agent Jonesy.
Breaking free from the confines of Fortnite, Epic has explained how the new and improved Epic Games Store will boast a whole host of chat and social features. At the core of these improvements, Epic has promised it will be a safe space for all.
What chat features are being added to the Epic Games Store?
On the official Epic Games site, the company confirmed what's on the way in terms of souped-up social features. The idea is that it will be easier than ever to buddy up and play games with your friends. Alongside an optimised search tool to find your friends, there will be player profiles and group chats. These are all being billed as a "major priority" for 2021. Coming out later this month, "Player Cards" will follow in the footsteps of other platforms. You'll be able to manage friends and communicate, while also giving a "Do Not Disturb" function to mute notifications. Alongside a minimised social panel so you can browse and chat at the same time, Epic has also promised to improve the search engine to take mutual friends into account.
In terms of the biggest improvement, the "Party System" is coming soon. Here, you'll be able to create and participate in group chats for voice and text while you play your favourite games. There will also be "party windows", where you can share your big moments with others. There's the ability to "kick off a match with only a few friends in the group while being able to continue talking to your entire Party.” Although there's no specific release window for the party system, it's expected before the year comes to a close.
What else do we know about the new Epic Store chat features?
The Party System sounds like a big push towards making the Epic Store more than just a place to do some window shopping. With no one person being the host, the Party System will work a bit like Discord. No matter who goes offline, the rest of you will be able to chat. Finally, Epic is getting rid of the Whisper feature where you could privately message friends. The company says it isn't used that much but hopes to bring back Whisper with "improved functionality" at some point.
It's all well and good, but remember Valve introduced very similar systems on Steam all the way back in 2018. Even though the Epic Store has struggled to keep up with its rival amidst criticisms it doesn't offer enough features, it's clear the development team are keen to change that assumption. In March last year, Epic introduced a Wishlist feature where you could stick a pin in games you want to buy, while it's also made it easier to get a refund on games. All of these have been relatively basic additions, however, a more social-centric Epic Games Store looks like it's the future.
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Images via Epic Games
