It’s also worth noting his games all include a flexible pricing option on itch.io, allowing players to pay what they can afford. Comparatively, Cribb typically receives less than 65% of each sale on Steam. Image: ColestiaĪs a self-published developer, he receives between 70-80% of each sale through itch.io after the default 10% platform fee, payment processing, currency exchange, and other miscellaneous fees. One reason for this sentiment is that platform fees are only the beginning of the costs developers need to account for with each sale – even for self-published games.Ĭanberra-based developer David Cribb, who develops under the name ‘Colestia’, makes various games with progressive themes – including investigative thriller A Hand With Many Fingers, Game of the Year at the 2020 Freeplay Awards – and releases them on itch.io and Steam. According to figures from the Game Developers Conference 2021 State of the Game Industry survey, 71% of over 3,000 respondents believed digital storefronts should only receive 20% or less of each sale. Many game developers believe the standard 30% platform cut is too high. Microsoft takes 30% of sales made through the Xbox console’s digital store, while its PC marketplace recently changed to 12% in line with Epic. In an attempt to disrupt the market, the Epic Games Store only takes 12%, and independent platform itch.io allows developers to set their own split, with a default cut of 10%. The industry standard platform fee hovers around 30%, which includes the likes of Steam, PlayStation, and Nintendo. With each digital copy a game sells, a cut is taken by its host platform. Now, not only have digital storefronts added more choice for both consumers and developers, they’ve become the preferred format Sony’s previous financial year indicated 65% of sales were from digital purchases alone.Īlthough digital distribution allows developers to bypass the costly process of manufacturing physical media and having a presence in brick-and-mortar shops, there are still costs involved. Floppy disks, cartridges, DVDs, and other forms of physical media were once the only way to access games. The distribution model for video games has changed drastically over the years. How much do developers make from their games? How much revenue each sale generates, the business development role of publishers, and the impact of popular subscription services are all major factors.ĭevelopers of all backgrounds endeavour to make the best games they can under various conditions – but the business side of games can be just as challenging as the creative side. To understand what goes into determining a game’s price, it’s important to know the major influences behind such tricky decisions.
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