Why it matters: Epic Games originally launched Epic Online Services as a set of online services for Fortnite, but has since made it available to all creators for free, allowing them to easily launch, operate and scale their games using the engine, store or platform of their choice. And now, Epic Online Services is even more attractive with the addition of two new (and free) features.
Voice is a cross-platform voice communication service that helps devs easily and seamlessly add in-game voice chat functionality to their projects. With Voice, devs can offer players one-on-one or group chat functionality across multiple platforms, both during a match and while in a lobby. Best yet, Epic handles all of the scaling and maintenance issues on its end.
The feature was originally created for Fortnite, where it has proven to provide a high-quality and reliable experience on a massive scale.
Speaking of, Epic said it now has over 500 million accounts with 2.7 billion friend connections across Fortnite, Rocket League and the Epic Games Store.
Easy Anti-Cheat, meanwhile, came into Epic's possession in 2018 via its acquisition of Kamu. With it, developers have direct control of anti-cheat enforcement in their games. The service continually evolves as new cheat prevention and detection techniques are discovered.
Devs interested in giving Epic Game Services a try can sign up for free over on Epic's website.