Pricing
What EightSix costs, in full.
No retainer and nothing upfront. A one-off fee when a Chinese partner signs your game, credited in full against a share of the China revenue that reaches you. The figures below are the whole structure; your service agreement states them again before you sign.
For studios
The publishing introduction
One structure for every PC or mobile studio we introduce to a Chinese partner. There are no tiers and no add-ons beyond the optional launch review.
| Stage | What you pay | When |
|---|---|---|
| Free assessment | Nothing | Within one working day of sending your game link |
| Shortlist, introductions, negotiation | Nothing | Throughout the search and the deal |
| Signing fee | £5,000, or £10,000 including the launch review | When the Chinese partner signs your game |
| Revenue share | 20% of China net revenue up to £50,000 cumulative, then 10% | Invoiced quarterly from your revenue reports, after the signing fee is credited |
| Post-launch support | A monthly fee set out in your service agreement | Optional, after launch |
What the fee covers
What you get for it
Everything between the first look at your Steam page and the quarter-by-quarter check of the publisher's statements.
Before the deal. The free assessment: existing Chinese demand read from your reviews, wishlists and comparable titles, the likely route (Steam Global, a licensed domestic release or a mobile partner) and the questions to resolve. Then a vetted shortlist of three to five Chinese publishers with a record in your genre, our notes on each, and the introductions you choose to take.
The deal. Negotiation support on the revenue base and deductions, recoupment order, marketing commitments, localisation scope, reporting, term, territory and reversion, settled before signature. You sign; we never hold the contract or the IP.
After launch. Every revenue statement reconciled against the contract before you rely on it, publisher commitments tracked against the plan, and a monthly plain-English summary. The optional launch review adds a structured check of the launch plan and the first reports.
What we do not charge for, because we do not do it: localisation, marketing spend, store operations and licence applications. The Chinese partner funds and runs those under the contract we help you negotiate. See the services overview for the division of work.
For publishers
China readiness audit
For Western publishers with a slate rather than a single game: a fixed fee, no revenue share.
A fixed fee, quoted per slate according to the number of titles and the depth required, and agreed in writing before work starts. The audit reads each title’s existing Chinese demand, the route that fits it, the regulatory questions a domestic release would raise, and the partner types worth approaching, and returns a ranked view of the slate with the commercial questions to settle first. Fixed fees can be split into instalments.
Questions
Common questions about pricing
Is there really no upfront fee?
Yes. The assessment is free, the shortlist and introductions are free, and nothing is invoiced until a Chinese partner signs your game. The only exceptions are services you book on a fixed fee, such as the publisher readiness audit, and those are priced before you commit.
What does "credited in full" mean for the signing fee?
The £5,000 (or £10,000) you pay at signature is deducted from our revenue share before we invoice anything further. If 20% of your China net revenue comes to £6,000, we invoice £1,000 more, not £6,000 on top. If the share never reaches the signing fee, you pay nothing more.
What counts as China net revenue?
Your service agreement defines it for your deal, and we show you that definition before you sign. It is the China revenue that reaches your studio from the partnership over the agreed term. It is never your sales outside China, and it is shown separately from any share or recoupable spending the Chinese publisher takes.
How does your fee relate to the Chinese publisher’s share?
They are two different things. The publisher’s share pays for the localisation, marketing and operations it funds and runs, and is negotiated into the publishing contract. Our fee pays for the assessment, the shortlist, the negotiation and the reporting checks. A model of the deal must show both, and we build that model with you before any term sheet.
When and how is the revenue share invoiced?
Quarterly, from your own revenue reports, once the signing fee has been credited. Invoices are in pounds sterling and payable within 14 days. Fixed fees can be split into instalments as set out in your agreement.
What is the launch review?
A structured review of the publisher’s launch plan and the first reports after release: campaign commitments against the plan, the localised store page, the first revenue statements against the contract. Booking it with the signing fee takes the fee to £10,000, still credited in full against the share.
Does the share continue forever?
No. It runs for the term set out in your service agreement, which is tied to the China partnership we introduced. The agreement also says what happens if the partnership ends early.
Can a publisher, rather than a studio, work with you?
Yes. Western publishers with a slate book a fixed-fee China readiness audit. The fee depends on the number of titles and the depth of the regulatory and commercial read, and is quoted and agreed in writing before work starts. There is no revenue share on an audit.
The next step
Start with the free assessment. Pay nothing until a partner signs.
Send a Steam, App Store or Google Play link and we reply within one working day with a plain-English read of the demand, the likely route and the questions to resolve. No pitch, no obligation.