Yet 20 years later, almost all this cost is now borne and managed by a game’s maker. The transition reflects the growing importance of online services, and the shift to support cross-play. Most developers now want to manage their own “live ops,” such as content updates, competitions, in-game analytics, and user accounts, and it doesn’t make sense for Xbox to manage the live services for a game that’s integrated into PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and more. But game developers are still obligated to pay the full 30% to gaming platforms and work through their online account systems.
