Microsoft is thinking of giving up the mandatory 30% commission on Xbox

Sarah Bond, vice president of the Microsoft gaming ecosystem, hinted at a possible reduction in the commission in the Xbox store. According to her, in the future, a more flexible model may replace the 30% fee, when the commission amount will depend on the store functions used by developers.

Bond told about this in an interview with the AXIOS portal.

So far, these are only abstract plans that can be executed on a new generation of console store (however, the company does not promise its appearance either). As Bond explains, over time, developers in such an app store will be able to abandon some Xbox features. For example, from streaming support. The fewer functions they choose, the less the commission is likely to be.

Also, in the hypothetically updated Xbox store, the company will no longer require developers to use its payment system.

Last April, Microsoft announced a reduction in the commission from 30% to 12% for games in the PC version of the Microsoft Store. However, a month later, the company announced that they would not do the same in the console store. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella explained that Xbox consoles are sold at a loss, and a commission of 30% allows you to partially compensate for this. At the same time, he argued that in the future, all mobile and PC stores will have to significantly reduce the commission due to increased competition.

Earlier this week, Microsoft published new principles for the operation of its app store on PC. With their help, the company wants to convince regulators studying its deal with Activision Blizzard of openness and a desire to respect the rights of developers and users.

There are 11 principles in total. For example, Microsoft promises to treat all applications equally fairly and not give priority to its own. She also intends to make the rules of promotion and marketing transparent to everyone and ensure the confidentiality of user data.

Although the principles were formed primarily for the Microsoft desktop Store, seven of them have been observed in the console store since February 9. You can read more here.