Google Announces Plan to Cut Stadia Fees

At the Google for Games Developer Summit 2021, Google announced several new programs to appeal to developers, including fee cuts for its cloud game service, Stadia.

Among the newly announced developer programs by Google, the most notable feature is also the fee cut. According to Google, titles released on the Stadia Store after October 1, 2021 will reduce their commissions by 15% until they reach $3 million in revenue. Google did not disclose the original fee at the event, and it is unclear how much specifically the cut was made, as Google said it was imposing competitive revenue-sharing conditions equal to other industry platforms. According to the report, it was originally expected to be 30%, and it is reported that the fee has been cut in half due to the program announced this time. The program also charges current fees on sales of $3 million or more, and the program itself ends at the end of 2023.

Also revealed is a program that returns revenue to developers based on the duration of the session for Stadia Pro, a subscription plan that allows you to play certain titles as much as you like for $9.99 per month. Session period is a concept that corresponds to the total number of gamer login days. For new titles added to Stadia Pro, Google will distribute 70% of Stadia Pro revenue according to the duration of the session.

In addition, to strengthen Click-to-Play, a link that allows direct gameplay with one click, Google announced a Click-to-Play partnership function. This affiliate feature allows the link creator to receive $10 per user if the user signs up for Stadia Pro through Click-to-Play. It is expected to take effect in the first half of 2022, but there is a caveat that the amount earned must reach $500 in order to receive a share of the revenue generated by the affiliate function. Google describes this feature as a simple and special link creation incentive that draws gamers to the game from anywhere on Stadia by clicking on links such as social media, YouTube videos, advertisements, partnerships, etc. on social media, YouTube videos, advertisements, and partnerships. Related information can be found here.