Hi, we are a new company looking to use Epic as our distribution platform. We come from Steam originally and are used to having multiple branches that we are able to control what builds are uploaded to them and how players get access to specific branches.
Is there anyway that Epic supports something similar in terms of branch management? If so how does one configure this?
Hi @ML_cc! We do not currently have self-service support for branches in the way that I’d imagine you’re envisioning, but you do have the ability to have more than one artifact in your product to house different builds. More information on that can be found here. From there, you would control access to those builds on the offer level through the usage of keys.
Thanks for the reply! And in this case then the best way would be to create “Offers” as a demo type and then use that to manage the different artifacts? Since it looks like we can only have one “Game” type offer for the product.
Sorry about this being a super late reply, I just came across this forum and had a follow up question. Will the demos show up on the store page if I create one or is there any option to hide it from the public and only be accessible via player groups?
Currently we have everything in Dev sandbox and it seems that they appear on the main offer page, but I guess they do only because they are in the same sandbox (ie Dev/Stage/Live). Once you push the main product to Stage or Live, only the offers in the same sandbox should appear in my mind?
Only a guess, on our side we’ll have to try in a few weeks 
Okay, yeah the staff member recommend I use a demo offer and just push the date out forever so its not discoverable. I think I can just delete it when the “branch” is no longer needed.
Epic lets you manually choose what parts of DEV to push to STAGE, so I guess until the beta test is over I will have to do that.
I only do that when changing big things like store page assets anyways.
As of my last knowledge update in September 2021, the Epic Games Store is primarily a distribution platform for games and does not have built-in features for managing different branches of game development. However, you can use version control systems and development practices alongside the Epic Games Store to manage different branches effectively. Here’s a general overview of how you might approach this:
Version Control System:
Use a version control system like Git to manage different branches of your game’s development. This allows you to work on different features, bug fixes, and improvements simultaneously.
Branch Management:
Create different branches in your version control repository for different development tasks. For example, you could have branches for “main,” “development,” “feature/xyz,” “bugfix/abc,” etc.
Versioning and Builds:
When you’re ready to create a build for the Epic Games Store, you would typically do this from a specific branch that represents a stable and tested version of your game. For example, the “main” branch might be used for your official releases.
Integration with Epic Games Store:
Integrate your version control system with your development environment and tools. When you’re ready to release a new version of your game on the Epic Games Store, you can build and package the appropriate version from the corresponding branch.
Testing and Quality Assurance:
Before releasing a build to the Epic Games Store, thoroughly test and quality-check the build to ensure it meets the required standards.
Uploading to Epic Games Store:
Once you have a stable build, follow the steps provided by the Epic Games Store to upload your game. This typically involves creating a store listing, uploading assets, configuring store settings, and setting up pricing.
Release Strategy:
Decide when and how you want to release different versions of your game on the Epic Games Store. You might release major updates, bug fixes, or additional content depending on your development roadmap.
Communication and Updates:
Keep your players informed about updates and changes through the Epic Games Store’s communication tools. You can use store updates, patch notes, and announcements to let players know about new versions.
It’s important to note that practices and tools can evolve over time, so I recommend checking the official documentation for both your version control system and the Epic Games Store for the latest information and best practices. Also, consider joining relevant communities, forums, or groups to learn from other developers who have experience managing different branches and releasing on the Epic Games Store.
Setting the early store discovery date to the future can help with this, the access keys should still be fully operational and the future dating will prevent the actual product page from going live. But Player Groups and Access keys are still for this, it would essentially just provide you with that extra sandbox to mess around with if needed/desired.