The vast majority of developers believe that Steam’s 30% cut of revenue isn’t fair. A survey carried out by GDC confirmed that most game creators think the split is unjustified.
Over 3,000 studios and indie developers responded to the survey, with 97% of respondents believing the 30% cut is unfair. Almost half of the responses indicated that a 10% or 15% fee is more appropriate.
Steam owner Valve is not the only company that has come under fire for taking 30% of revenue from developers in exchange for hosting and selling games. Apple has a similar system, which has led to legal action between Epic Games and the tech giant. Google also operates its App Store with the same split.
However, companies have begun adopting a fairer model to compete with Steam and entice developers to use their own ecosystem.
Since it launched in December 2018, the Epic Games Store has taken a 12% cut of revenue rather than the traditional 30%.
Last November, Apple announced it was reducing its cut from 30% to 15% for developers whose annual revenue does not exceed $1 million.
Similarly, in March, Google announced it will reduce its Play Store cut from 30% to 15% for a developer’s first $1 million in annual revenue, starting on July 1.
Meanwhile, Microsoft announced today that its Microsoft Store will adopt a similar model to the Epic Games Store, decreasing its cut of revenue from 30% to 12% starting on August 1.