EY and Microsoft alliance

Microsoft Xbox’s legacy system for securing and managing royalty payouts was cumbersome, sometimes taking over 45 days to issue payments. This complexity wasn’t just causing mounds of paperwork; it was also creating anxiety for creators with small businesses and limited resources. Microsoft Xbox knew there had to be a smarter way to manage the process, so it engaged EY to implement a suite of smart digital solutions to address the problem.

The $152b gaming industry serves over 1.7 billion consumers worldwide. This is enabled through partnerships between gaming platforms such as Xbox and thousands of developers, publishers, authors, designers, production houses and distributors. These relationships are all key in maintaining a high-quality product and attracting the best talent and creators to the platform. Microsoft Xbox and EY implemented a blockchain solution that seamlessly connected these parties and enhanced their experience by enabling fast, frictionless payment for their work.

Smart contracts encode game creators’ IP rights

The first step in refreshing the legacy systems was to introduce a new digital contract. By opting in, industry participants agreed to new terms with a simple e-signature. The legal terms were then encoded in the blockchain network in the form of smart contracts.

An automated solution that brings down operational costs

Building on the foundation of contractual transparency, EY focused on the royalty calculation system — a major pain point for Microsoft Xbox. The legacy system of calculating and distributing benefits was plagued by loads of unnecessary reviews and tedious manual processes. Delays in calculation and high operational costs were eating into the overall profits of the industry. By automating the entire system, EY helped Microsoft Xbox reduce the manual effort and significantly reduce the operational costs associated with processing payments for creators.

Near real-time purchase records show game creators what they have earned

While smart contracts were used to accurately calculate the royalty payouts for Microsoft Xbox’s partners, the next step was to securely and transparently share the information with them in near real-time.