As has become routine for the digital storefront, the Epic Game Store cycled its free game promotion today, removing last week's offering of Pine and replacing it with The Lion's Song. The episodic, narrative-focused experience is available to claim right now, offering players an adventure following several Austrian artists in the early 20th century.
Players will have until May 20 to grab their copy of The Lion's Song, although it's currently unclear what the Epic Games Store will be replacing it with once its stint has concluded. Instead of the usual reveal of which game is coming next week, Epic references a "mystery game" that will be announced when The Lion's Song departs.
This has only happened a few times on the storefront, but it's usually followed by something big. Grand Theft Auto 5 and Civilization 6 both hit the storefront after being built up as mystery titles. It'll be interesting to see what the Epic Games Store ends up adding, with the countdown timer teasing fans will have their answer in just under a week's time. Over the last year, the storefront has offered an array of huge titles through its free games promotion including Alien Isolation, Star Wars: Battlefront 2, Jurassic World: Evolution, Watch Dogs 2, and Borderlands: The Handsome Collection.
The storefront's generosity has long been of interest for fans, with many questioning how much money Epic spends buying out big games to give away to its customers. Recently, an insight into the financials was provided, with the company's ongoing legal battle against Apple revealing some new information. According to documents made public, Epic spent over $11 million dollars securing free games back in 2019. In particular, it spent a whopping $1.5 million buying out the Batman Arkham trilogy to give to account holders, while it also dropped $1.4 million on Subnautica and a further $1 million on Mutant Year Zero: Road to Eden.
Players can get sucked into The Lion's Song now for free, and can expect a surprise in the Epic Games Store next week. As for other gaming freebies currently making the rounds, Horizon Zero Dawn: Complete Edition is free for PlayStation users for one more day, with the game leaving Sony's Play at Home Initiative tomorrow. PlayStation Plus subscribers can also grab several games this month, with the service's lineup featuring Battlefield 5, Stranded Deep, and Wreckfest. On the other hand, Xbox Live Gold players can get access to Armello, Dungeons 3, LEGO Batman, and Tropico 4 thanks to the console's monthly Games with Gold promotion.
Source: Epic Games