Microsoft is increasing the cut of PC game sales that go to developers to match Epic
In a major shift starting in August 2021, Microsoft will increase the cut developers get from PC game sales on the Microsoft Store from 70 to 88 percent.
Over the course of the last several years, Microsoft has worked to create policies, technology, and programs that invite more players to the table. Whether it was the Xbox Adaptive Controller adding immense accessibility to gaming interfaces or the Xbox Game Pass acting as one of the best deals in all of gaming, Microsoft’s efforts generally seem to prioritize comfort and care for its customer base. Now, it’s latest policy is turning attention to the developer side where Microsoft just announced that starting in August, it will reduce its take from PC game sales on the Microsoft store from 30 percent to a mere 12 percent.
Microsoft announced its upcoming shift in a post on the Xbox Wire blog on April 29, 2021. The post was quite extensive and covered a number of details, but perhaps one of the most important among them was the shift in PC game sales cuts. Where Microsoft had previously kept it to a 70/30 split with the company taking 30 percent, it will shift this cut to 88/12 in August 2021, matching the system set in place on the Epic Games Store.
“Game developers are at the heart of bringing great games to our players, and we want them to find success on our platforms,” Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty wrote on the matter. “That’s why today we’re announcing that we’re updating our Microsoft Store terms for PC game developers. A clear, no-strings-attached revenue share means developers can bring more games to more players and find greater commercial success from doing so.”
Indeed, it should mean quite a bit of good for most developers looking to get their share out of games on Microsoft’s PC platform. Indeed, it was a much applauded and embraced policy from Epic Games Store when that platform began, in addition to being a shot at Steam and other platforms for their less generous splits.
A more developer-friendly revenue split coming in August wasn’t the only thing on the latest Xbox Wire blog. Check out the details on Halo Infinite cross-play and cross-progression, which were also confirmed in the post.
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replyTJ Denzer posted a new article, Microsoft is increasing the cut of PC game sales that go to developers to match Epic
