Like a broken record.

Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney recently mentioned on Twitter that he's open to bringing Fortnite to Steam, the Microsoft Store, and other platforms. Of course, there's a catch to that. Sweeney says that he would only be open to bringing Fortnite to these other platforms if the platform holders got rid "of these ridiculous 30% fees."

To preface this a bit, Valve does take a 30% cut of sales made through Steam but only up to a point. Once certain sales thresholds are met, that 70%/30% split moves to 75%/25% and then eventually 80%/20%. The 30% cut is also the "industry standard," especially in the console space. Those that are fine with the 70%/30% say that the sizable cut allows platform holders to develop and innovate their platforms in ways that other platforms cannot afford to do.

The 30% cut can help offset the costs associated with developing and maintaining everything from physical hardware to software and backend improvements. Valve, like Microsoft and Sony, develop both software (Steam) and hardware (Index, Steam Deck, etc.). The 30% cut also goes into maintenance and upkeep of backend servers and software for these companies. Valve has also made significant upgrades and feature improvements across the entire Steam platform over the years.

The same cannot be said for Epic Games and the Epic Games Store. Epic has shown that their 88%/12% revenue split is not doing them any favors. The company recently laid off 16% of their workforce. Tim Sweeney himself has also said, under oath no less, that the Epic Games Store still has not been profitable despite being active since 2018. The Epic Games Store platform also continues to lack countless features found in Steam and other platforms. It took Epic three years to add a shopping cart to the store. Epic's lower revenue cut has also not resulted in lower prices on games.

Yes, the 30% base cut that Valve, Sony, Microsoft, and others take is perhaps a bit too high. A 2021 survey of developers at GDC found that only 7% of all respondents thought a 30% cut was justified. More money going to the actual game developers is most certainly a good thing. However, Epic shows that taking too little of a cut leads to a stagnation in platform improvements and innovation. It can also lead to situations where employees need to be laid off.

That all said, Sweeney says they'll put Fortnite on storefronts that give "all developers an awesome deal."


I cannot help but feel as though Sweeney needs Fortnite on Steam and other platforms more than Steam and other platforms need Fortnite. Also, Sweeney tends to expel a lot of hot air on social media, so taking what he says with a grain of salt is always the smartest course of action.