Epic Games has announced a slew of new features in its virtual store window to make it easier to connect and play games with friends. Player profiles, group chats and a newly optimized search tool to find friends will all move to the store in 2021. It comes as part of a larger message on the company’s website and tells that social functions will be a “big priority”. as Epic looks at how to improve the platform.
The biggest features announced will not actually appear this month. It includes the newly configured “Party System” that allows people to have group chats for voice and text while playing games. As part of this new series of features, players will be able to create ‘party windows’, which will allow them to share game highlights with friends, as well as kick off a match with only a few friends in the group while they are able to continue with your entire Party. The announcement does not mention a specific release date for the Party System, other than a 2021 release window.
As for what will come out this month, there are a bunch of add-ons that will refine the platform. This month offers ‘Player Cards’ that work like most other platform profiles, allowing users to manage friends, as well as a “Do Not Disturb” mode to mute notifications. To make it easier to find friends, Epic improves the search engine to consider mutual friends. The store also adds a minimized version of the social panel so you can communicate with it while browsing, without having to open a new window.
Initially, when Epic launched its gaming platform, it was difficult for many fans to sell in part because it did not offer as many features as Steam. However, the company has committed to developing the platform over time, and these upcoming features take some important steps to reduce the gap between it and other platforms like Steam.