Microsoft certainly has a lot on its plate these days, between launching Windows Phone 7, delivering updates, working with developers, rolling out tools and finally working on that Marketplace thing. It's a huge task and although it has been quite smooth, there will be bumps. Such is the case here with Microsoft attempting to combine WM6.x apps and game sales with WP7 for a "unified payout process"--a massive yet noble undertaking. 

Evidently, there is a delay resulting in payments being pushed back from the end of December to the end of January to this group of hybrid WM6.x/WP7 developers. But in attempting to be the good guys here, Microsoft is offering developers $100 or 2% of their sales, whichever is larger, in attempt to ease things over. In a letter addressed to developers, Microsoft says:

...due to this migration to a unified payout process for apps developed for both Windows Phone 6.x and Windows Phone 7 we have experienced an unexpected delay that impacts developer payouts this month. As a result, developer payouts for Windows Phone 6.x apps and games sold in November will be processed in the last week of January, not in December as expected.

We regret that we cannot make the scheduled December payout and appreciate the importance of predictable revenue streams to businesses of every size. As a small token of our appreciation for your patience in this matter, we will also be depositing an additional $100 or 2% of the payout owed (whichever is higher) in addition to depositing payouts for your sales earned in late January. This additional deposit will be made to all developers which met the monthly payout threshold for November.

Good on Microsoft for being honest and trying to do something right in this situation. Once gain, they may not be perfect, but they do try to keep their developers happy.

Thanks, Ronny Gydar, for the info!