Microsoft have announced that they are reducing their take from PC games on the Microsoft Store to 12%.

In a statement on Xbox Wire, Head of Xbox Game Studios Matt Booty states that from August 1st, Microsoft will reduce their take of net revenue on the Microsoft Store for PC games from 30%, to 12% (developers likewise growing from 70% to 88%).

This will also seemingly not affect or demand exclusivity, as Booty explains how Microsoft believes it is “important that players have a choice in where they purchase games and we want to make accessing content even easier.” Further, Microsoft knows “the PC community uses multiple storefronts.”

The move mirrors how the Epic Games Store was heavily promoted on giving a larger cut of sales; also taking only 12% from sales. The 12% is also used to cover 5% of a developer’s Unreal Engine royalties. It should be noted that while Steam did take around 30% of revenue on sales prior to October 2018, it is no longer so clear cut with how they have adjusted how developers gain revenue.

However, the Epic Games Store usually has the caveat of exclusivity; something Microsoft themselves rejected in favor of bringing more games to Steam. Epic Games have also reportedly paid for exclusive games, including $10 million USD for Control.

Booty also discussed Microsoft’ future on PC, and their player-first focus. This includes acknowledging the gamers play on more than PC, and the announcement of multiplayer cross-play and cross-progression support for Halo Infinite.

Xbox Cloud Gaming via Xbox Game Pass Ultimate has also allowed over 100 console games to be played on “lower-spec, entry-level machines to older devices.” EA Play’s partnership with Xbox Game Pass for PC and Ultimate memberships was also highlighted.

“We know that we still have a lot of work to do,” Booty states, “but based on the response from both PC gamers and PC game developers, we think that we’re headed in the right direction for this community with the investments we’re making.”