Because the Internet is now extremely developed, there is basically no need for physical CDs, so the so-called channels now can be roughly understood as places to download games (paid or free).
Then someone asked, since it is the place to download the game, can't it just go to the official website of the developer or publisher to download it?
In theory, it is possible. But in the same way, why don't people go directly to the official websites of various brand companies to buy things, but go to JD.com, Tmall, or physical hypermarkets? Because it is neither economical nor convenient, there is no agglomeration effect, and there is no buying atmosphere. Only when there is a "collection" can there be a "city", it is human nature. Especially for small companies, basically nothing.
There are different channels for different game types. Basically can be divided into three categories: host, PC and mobile phone.
The three main hosts are Nintendo , Sony , and Microsoft . Each has its own host store. Generally 30% will be drawn. Of course, there may be exceptions to exclusive games. Maybe it is Yusanjia who subsidizes the developers in reverse.
In the PC field, Steam to which Valve belongs is the absolute overlord. Of course, several major game manufacturers have their own stores, such as Blizzard has Blizzard Battle.net , EA has Rotten Orange Origin , Ubisoft has Uplay , Microsoft has Microsoft store , but Blizzard only sells its own games, EA and Ubisoft basically It is self-produced and sold, and support for third parties is weak. Microsoft, as always, remains unfocused. EA lasted for a few years and finally returned to Steam. Now it depends on how long Ubisoft and Blizzard can last.
Steam also has a 30% rake (due to pressure, there is now a ladder rake). Many game manufacturers are overwhelmed. EA and Ubisoft also launched their own stores based on this. Epic directly challenged it and launched the Epic games store, which only charged 12% of the rake. Humble Store, a third-party game store called for charity (recently they also started selling Nintendo console games), collects a 25% rake.
In addition, there is also a GOG store launched by the Polish company CD Projekt RED (Polish dumb/conscience of the industry), which also has a great influence in Europe and the United States. The platform takes "player-friendly" as its mission. They always reject DRM encryption, and as early as December 2013, they introduced a refund policy (on Steam it will have to wait until June 2015). In addition, the GOG platform also strictly manages the products on the shelves and product recommendations. It will manually review the games and block the games they think are not good. These policies are very beneficial to players, but it undoubtedly dampens the enthusiasm of publishers and developers, and cannot attract publishers of AAA masterpieces. The GOG store also takes 30%.
ITCH.IO is a third-party platform established by a group of idealists who focus on the interests of small and medium developers. There is basically no screening of works. Moreover, developers can independently determine the proportion of share with the platform, even up to 100%. In addition, the backend of the platform can basically communicate with other platforms (except Origin, Blizzard Battle.net and Uplay), which also facilitates developers to upload and maintain. They also support third-party network disks. However, because of too little supervision, counterfeit goods are rampant, and the direct payment model is adopted (other platforms collect payment on the platform and transfer it to the developer), which often results in damage to the interests of customers.
In addition, retail giants Amazon , Best Buy , Wal-Mart , and Gamestop have also entered this market. Also in accordance with the rules of the industry, 30% are drawn.
In China, Tencent launched Wegame , once again trying to cut into the track through the advantages of WeChat and QQ accounts, and also raked 30%. 3dm and Ranger also launched their own game stores.
However, all this is difficult to shake the dominance of Steam . Because Steam is not only a store, but also a battle.net, a forum, and a community. Players have various achievements, game libraries, and friends. These are difficult to replace in a short time.
On the mobile platform, iOS has no choice but to use the Apple Store (a third party can also be used for jailbreaking, but it is very risky and most people can’t handle it). The same rake is 30%. On the Android platform, Google Play takes 30%.
All domestic platforms have higher commissions, basically accessing SDK (the main function of SDK is that users pay first to channel providers, and channel providers then transfer to developers), and some commissions are as high as 50%. The third-party platforms basically only have Yinbao , 360 and Baidu , and they have been declining. Therefore, Yinbao has reduced the commission to 20-40% of the tiered system. Manufacturers account for the other half [Hardcore Alliance (Huawei, OPPO, VIVO), Xiaomi]. Generally, 30% is paid for downloading, and 50% is paid for in-game access to SDK intermodal games. In addition, Station B, ByteDance, and Kuaishou also entered this battlefield.
Because the percentage of domestic Android platforms is ridiculously high, Xindong.com launched the TapTap independent channel, which does not collect any commission but only monetizes ads (later also joined the intermodal commission model, but only 30%). Later, Haoyou Kuaibang and Youpinwei (unfortunately closed) also adopted the same strategy to join the track and gained market recognition.
Of course, special games will be negotiated with each platform in proportion. Or simply don't get on the platform and just smash advertising purchases, such as the recent hot Yuanshen .
In addition, there are some long-tail channels, such as Dangle, Haimawan and other professional web game Daquan mobile game platforms, which will have dedicated third-party SDKs, such as Quick, Yongyong, etc., responsible for accessing these massive long-tail platforms .
In the past year or two, lowering the commission has become a fashionable thing. Epic has been aggressive with Apple and Steam, forcing Apple to reduce the commission for small developers. Domestic OPPO, VIVO, and WeChat Mini Programs have also followed up to reduce channel fees for small developers.
Of course, in fact, the wool comes out of the sheep. In the final analysis, we users pay for it.