Two Steam games made $560K but the co-creator took home $15K/year

Commenters focused on why two supposedly successful Steam games left a co‑creator with only about $15K a year, with several people breaking down the math. One commenter reconstructed the numbers: $560K gross became $426K after an alleged $134K in refunds (about 22%), then Steam’s ~30% cut (~$127K) left roughly $297K, taxes reduced it modestly, and after a roughly $115K publisher share the developers were left with about $172K total. That commenter argued the Steam cut and high refund rate were the more controversial factors, while noting publishers at least provided some value. Another view pointed out that Steam’s services beyond discoverability are minimal and that submission itself costs only $100.

Other commenters argued over alternatives and industry realities. Some insisted developers could avoid Steam by selling on their own site or platforms like Epic, GOG, Humble or itch.io, while others countered that Steam’s dominance (cited as ~75% market share) makes it the only realistic place to reach a wide audience. Several commenters described the indie market as brutal - high costs, regional refund behaviors (notably high Chinese refund rates), and thin margins make indie development unsustainable for many, with low personal living costs being the only thing keeping some creators afloat as they consider solo efforts or new projects.