Tools
Publisher Deal Comparison
The game is the same. The platform is the same. The only thing that differs is what each publisher is offering. Put both deals through the same math and find the crossover.
Everything the publisher needs to earn back before the revenue split kicks in, development advance, markup, and any recoupable marketing or service costs.
$
$
%
Markup amount$0
$
$
Total recoupable$0
An additional % the publisher takes on net revenue, on top of the headline split. Not present in every deal, check your contract.
%
Your percentage of net revenue once the advance is fully recouped.
%
Effective net per unit under this deal
$0.00
Units to recoup
—
Everything the publisher needs to earn back before the revenue split kicks in, development advance, markup, and any recoupable marketing or service costs.
$
$
%
Markup amount$0
$
$
Total recoupable$0
An additional % the publisher takes on net revenue, on top of the headline split. Not present in every deal, check your contract.
%
Your percentage of net revenue once the advance is fully recouped.
%
Effective net per unit under this deal
$0.00
Units to recoup
—
Developer earnings at fixed milestones
| Units sold | Deal A — developer earnings | Deal B — developer earnings |
|---|
Crossover point
Complete both deals to see the crossover.
Hi, I'm Michele (or Miki for short).
Ran the numbers and something feels off? That's where I usually come in. Tell me about your game.
Notes
- The split only matters after recoup. Until the advance is fully recouped, your revenue split is irrelevant, you earn nothing beyond the upfront payment. A 70/30 split in your favour only starts working once you've sold enough copies to clear the recoupable total. The crossover point is exactly where that dynamic plays out between two deals.
- What counts as recoupable varies significantly. Some publishers recoup only the development advance. Others include marketing spend, porting costs, QA, and service fees. A deal with a smaller headline advance can have a larger effective recoupable total once everything is included. Read what's actually in the recoupable bucket before entering a number here.
- The license fee compounds quietly. A 10% publisher license fee on net doesn't sound like much. Applied before the revenue split, it reduces your effective net per unit on every single sale, including every sale after recoup. On a 50/50 split with a 10% license fee, you're effectively on a 45/55 before the split even starts. Check whether your contract has one.
- The shared parameters are your parameters, not your publisher's. Platform share, regional mix, tax rate, and return rate are properties of your game and your market. They're the same regardless of which publisher you sign with. Setting them accurately in the shared section is what makes the deal comparison meaningful.
- Estimation only. This is a planning tool, not a contract model. Real deal evaluation requires your actual term sheet, your accountant, and ideally someone who has been on both sides of these negotiations.