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GDC State of the Industry: Developer Perspectives on Steam Revenue Shares

Key insights

6 takeaways

01
Only 6% of surveyed game developers believe Steam's standard 30% revenue cut is justified.
02
The most popular preferred revenue share for Steam is 15%, supported by 25% of respondents.
03
A significant portion of developers favor lower fees, with 21% of respondents suggesting a 10% cut and 17% suggesting a 20% cut.
04
Approximately 20% of surveyed developers remain unsure about what constitutes a fair revenue split for the Steam storefront.
05
Developer dissatisfaction with Steam's 30% fee is driven by the availability of more competitive rates from rivals like the Epic Games Store, which offers an 88/12 revenue split.
06
The data is derived from the eighth annual GDC State of the Industry survey, which compiled responses from nearly 4,000 game developers.

Summary

The eighth annual State of the Industry survey, conducted in early 2020, examines developer sentiment regarding the digital distribution landscape, specifically focusing on the perceived fairness of Steam’s standard 30 percent revenue share. The survey, which compiled responses from nearly 4,000 game developers, highlights a significant disconnect between current industry standards and the expectations of creators who increasingly favor lower commission rates offered by emerging competitors.

The findings indicate that a vast majority of developers believe the 30 percent cut taken by Steam is not justified. When asked to identify a fair revenue split, only 6 percent of respondents supported maintaining the current 30 percent rate. In contrast, 25 percent of developers identified a 15 percent cut as the most reasonable, while 21 percent preferred a 10 percent share. An additional 17 percent of participants indicated they would be comfortable with a 20 percent fee. Approximately one in five respondents remained undecided on what constitutes an appropriate commission for the storefront.

These results underscore a broader industry shift toward questioning traditional platform economics, particularly as alternative marketplaces like the Epic Games Store have introduced more aggressive revenue-sharing models. By capturing the perspectives of thousands of industry professionals, the survey provides a clear snapshot of the growing pressure on established digital storefronts to justify their service fees in an increasingly competitive PC gaming market.