Microsoft is lowering its 'tax' on developers of PC games sold through the Microsoft Store, the company writes on its site.
From August 1, developers will no longer pay 30 percent of their revenues to Microsoft, but 12 percent. From that moment on, 88 percent will go to the game makers instead of 70 percent. For the time being, it only concerns developers who make PC games. This way, developers will take 88% of the net income from sales of PC games compared to the previous 70% they had. That is, almost 90% of the profits from the games will go to the developer.
Microsoft is not the first to lower this commission. The company Epic, which not only makes the game Fortnite but also has its own online store in which it sells PC games, also charges a 12 percent fee. Microsoft says it will cut its commission because it will be able to be successful on the Microsoft Store.
Competitor Valve, which owns the store Steam, still asks 30 percent of the developers. That percentage decreases as more copies are sold. After a developer earns $ 10 million ($ 8.26 million) on a game, the fee becomes 25 percent, after $ 50 million, the fee becomes 20 percent for each sale.
“As part of our commitment to empower all PC game creators to achieve more, beginning August 1, developers' share of Microsoft Store PC game net sales revenue will increase 70% at 88%. A clear and untethered revenue share means that developers can bring more games to more players and achieve greater commercial success by doing so, ”stated the company via the Xbox news blog .