Blizzard’s former Battle.net lead is moving his expertise over to the Epic Games Store to ‘elevate player, creator, and developer experiences’
Martin Keely, Blizzard’s former senior vice-president overseeing Battle.net, has joined Epic Games as vice-president and general manager of the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services. The appointment matters because Epic is seeking to strengthen its PC storefront and services as it competes with Steam, the market’s dominant platform.
Keely had worked at Blizzard for seven years and said he was proud of the platform’s growth and record results during that period. He succeeds Steve Allison, who left Epic in July for Saber Interactive, and says his new role will focus on developing capabilities for players, creators and developers while supporting an open, sustainable gaming ecosystem.
In short
- Former Battle.net leader Martin Keely joins Epic.
- He will lead Epic Games Store and Online Services.
- Epic aims to improve its platform amid Steam competition.
Explained simply
Martin Keely has joined Epic Games as the new head of the Epic Games Store and Epic Online Services. For the past seven years, he oversaw Battle.net, Blizzard's platform where players access games and connect with others online. His move represents a significant leadership change as Epic seeks to strengthen its PC gaming storefront.
Epic Games operates the Epic Games Store, a place where players on computers can buy and play games. It competes with Steam, which dominates the PC gaming market and has millions of active users. Epic is investing in experienced leaders and platform improvements to attract both players and game developers away from Steam's established position.
Keely's experience building Battle.net could help Epic develop similar services and player loyalty. He will focus on supporting the players, developers and creators whose involvement makes the platform valuable.