Epic Games Releases Fix To Reduce CPU Overheating Bug

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The problem causing the Epic Games Store launcher to overheat some players’ CPUs is being partly addressed in a newly released quick fix. Reports that the digital distribution platform run by Epic was causing excess heat in its users' computers began emerging over the past week. This prompted the Epic Games Store to look into possible fixes, resulting in this initial hotfix.

An investigation launched by HotHardware looked into the stories of several Epic Games Store users regarding the overheating issue, one of which claimed the launcher caused a temperature spike of nearly 13 degrees. The investigation, which included looking at competing virtual storefronts for similar problematic patterns, turned up some interesting results. HotHardware’s team was able to grab screen shots of the Epic Game Store launcher increasing a CPU’s temperature, even while it was idle. It appeared to the team that the launcher was constantly running some unknown processes in the background which were unduly taxing the CPU. The report speculates on whether this is the result of data collection.

In a tweet posted days after the original reports, Sergey Galyonkin, Director of Publishing Strategy at Epic Games, declared that hotfix 11.0.2 is now live and should help anyone experiencing overheating problems with the Epic Games Store launcher. Though the news is welcome, Galyonkin is quick to point out in the post that this fix, while it should help alleviate the problems, is not the end to this issue. The tweet seems to imply that this hotfix is only an initial remedy, though it does not indicate when or how the problem will be fully dealt with.

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The Epic Game’s Store’s interest in fixing this issue quickly may stem from the platform’s ongoing holiday promotions. Many players have been flocking to the digital storefront in the past week in order to participate in its 15-day game giveaway. The promotion, which began on December 17 and comes alongside a large holiday sale, is winding down with another game set to be revealed in less than fifteen hours. With a new, free game becoming available to pick up daily over almost two weeks drawing in potential customers, the Epic Games Store is sure to be interested in resolving this issue as fast as it can.

That the Epic Games Store launcher might be capable of overheating its users’ CPUs is problematic in and of itself, and hopefully the company can fix that quickly. However, the more troubling issue at hand is the allegation that the problem may be caused by data collection. Whether ultimately true or not, that is a hard thing to shake from a digital storefront’s reputation.