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Omer Develioğlu, co-founder of Northend Games, recently detailed the financial breakdown of his studio's two Steam titles, Northend Tower Defense and Deepstone Rift. Despite generating $560,000 in gross revenue from 135,000 units sold over five years, the actual take-home pay for the developers was significantly lower than expected.
The revenue was heavily impacted by a 22% refund rate, primarily attributed to demanding customers in China, which accounts for 53.3% of total sales. After accounting for Steam's 30% platform fee, U.S. withholding taxes, and a $115,000 cut taken by an Asian publisher for marketing and distribution, the remaining funds were further reduced by local taxes in Thailand.
Ultimately, the net profit was split equally between the two co-founders. Develioğlu reported receiving $73,000 over the five-year period, averaging approximately $15,000 annually. While this figure exceeds the average annual wage in Thailand, the developer noted that the income remains modest, leaving him driving a 2012 Mazda rather than achieving the wealth often associated with successful game sales.
