Microsoft will increase the share of net revenue for game developers from the Microsoft Store in a challenge to Valve. Starting on August 1…
Microsoft will increase the share of net revenue for game developers from the Microsoft Store in a challenge to Valve. Starting on August 1, game developers who publish their titles via the Microsoft Store will receive 88% of the net revenue from sales, up from 70%. “Having a clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so,” Microsoft CVP Sarah Bond wrote on LinkedIn. This can be readily interpreted as a shot across the bow to Valve Software’s Steam, the leading digital storefront for PC games. Developers who sell games on Steam receive 70% of their sales revenue below $10 million, with 30% of that going to Steam. That 70/30 revenue split was once the industry standard, but several of Steam’s competitors, such as Humble, Discord, and the Epic Games Store, have used that as a point of attack by offering developers a more favorable deal.
