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.