Unity, a company that makes a suite of video game development tools, has recently sparked a major controversy in the industry after announcing changes to its pricing model. Under the new model, Unity plans to charge developers on a per-install basis after certain revenue and game download thresholds are met.
Sentiment regarding the new pricing has been largely negative, with reports of death threats to the company as developers and video game professionals respond on social media with calls for Unity to reconsider since the changes could threaten the already thin profits of indie games. Developers are concerned that Unity has implemented these changes unilaterally, violating trust while offering virtually no time for developers to prepare for the potential costs. Many developers have spoken out against the change, urging Unity to retract the new model or risk indie developers porting their games to other engines.
Unity has offered some clarifications and retractions to the new pricing, but some developer concerns, like how Unity intends to track valid installations and separate them from exempted installations, remain unaddressed.
Highlights
- PINNED
Sep 25
Unity finally addressed developers’ biggest questions about its new pricing model
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeAfter Unity announced, then modified, then reannounced its new runtime fee program, the video game development community wanted to know how and why this disastrous rollout happened. In addition to the letter Unity Create president Marc Whitten published on Friday, he also held a live fireside chat on YouTube in which he addressed some of the community’s biggest questions and concerns.
Read Article >One of the first things Whitten did, both in his letter and during the chat, was offer an apology.
Sep 22
Unity announces its revamped pricing model
Illustration by Cath Virginia / The VergeA little more than a week after announcing a disastrous new pricing model that infuriated developers, Unity has introduced its revamped version.
Read Article >The new plan is a drastic departure from what was initially announced. Now, users on the Unity Personal subscription plan will not be charged the new fee, and Unity will increase the revenue cap on games made with that plan to $200,000.
Sep 22
Ash breaks down why Unity devs are mad.We’ve literally just now gotten word that Unity has changed its disastrous new pricing model after developers' protests, which you can read about from Ash Parrish here.
Also, here’s her very first appearance on The Verge’s video channels (Instagram, TikTok, and YouTube), explaining why it’s all such a big deal. Give her a warm welcome!
Sep 18
Unity plans to change its disastrous new pricing program
Image: UnityUnity plans to change its forthcoming pay-per-install program following widespread criticism from game developers.
Read Article >“We apologize for the confusion and angst the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday caused,” Unity posted on X (formerly Twitter). “We are listening, talking to our team members, community, customers, and partners, and will be making changes to the policy. We will share an update in a couple of days.”
Sep 18
Now Unity says it’s changing the new pricing policy.After nearly a week of indie developers tearing down Unity’s new pricing policy that was set to take effect on January 1st, the company now says, “We have heard you.” Unity’s pricing scheme that was set to take effect in 2024 would have established a convoluted setup charging game makers for downloads and installations.
Unity didn’t hint at what the changes are or reference the protest that saw some prominent devs disable its ad monetization tools, only saying it will release the details “in a couple of days.
Sep 15
Developers fight back against Unity’s new pricing model
Image: UnityThe game developers affected by Unity’s new pricing model are striking back. A collective of developers across 19 companies, mostly based in Europe and mostly developing mobile games, has put out an open letter urging Unity to reverse course on its recently announced pricing model changes. The letter contains some of the same sentiments expressed by other developers this week but with one big twist.
Read Article >“As a course of immediate action, our collective of game development companies is forced to turn off all IronSource and Unity Ads monetization across our projects until these changes are reconsidered,” the letter read.
Sep 14
Developers respond to Unity’s new pricing scheme
UnityEarlier this week, Unity, the company that makes the Unity video game engine popular with indie developers, announced that it was changing its pricing model. The changes included a pricing scheme that sought to charge developers on a per-install basis for games that met specific download and revenue thresholds.
Read Article >Unity wanted to charge developers for game installs without seemingly taking into account the many reasons a game might be installed without being purchased. Unity’s new model could theoretically result in situations where developers would be on the hook for hundreds of thousands of dollars in fees without the revenue to pay for it.
Sep 14
Unity cancels town hall over reported death threats
The Unity pricing debacle has taken an unfortunate, dangerous turn. In a new report from Bloomberg, the company has reportedly canceled a town hall meeting due to what the publication called credible death threats. According to Bloomberg, Unity CEO John Riccitiello was set to address employees Thursday morning, but the companywide meeting was canceled and two of Unity’s offices were closed because of the alleged threats.
Read Article >Earlier this week, Unity, makers of a video game engine popular among indie developers, announced that it was making changes to its pricing model. In addition to charging yearly subscription fees, Unity is planning to implement a pay-per-install pricing scheme, charging developers each time a game is installed on a device once that game has met specific download and revenue thresholds.
Sep 14
“We have never made a public statement before. That is how badly you fucked up.”Mega Crit, developers of Slay the Spire — a rogue deckbuilder that has a permanent spot on my Steam Deck — has weighed in on the Unity situation with a clear, concise, and seemingly justified ultimatum. The quote is one for the ages, but the whole statement is great.
Sep 12
Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off
UnityPopular video game engine Unity is making big changes to its pricing structure that’s causing confusion and anger among developers. On Tuesday, Unity announced that on January 1st, 2024, it would be implementing a pay-per-download pricing scheme that would charge developers a flat fee any time a game using Unity software is installed.
Read Article >“We are introducing a Unity Runtime Fee that is based upon each time a qualifying game is downloaded by an end user,” the company shared on its blog. “We chose this because each time a game is downloaded, the Unity Runtime is also installed. Also we believe that an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share.”
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24934659/_236784_Unity_Stock_V1_CVirginia_0002_C.png)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24934663/_236784_Unity_Stock_V1_CVirginia_0003_D.png)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/21812330/Unity_1200X630.png)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/assets/1191379/4175f5df92b737bb8b0d32bd8de30e6f.jpg)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24919995/09_2023_Blog_Hero_image_Penguin_Option_3__1230x410_.jpeg)
:format(webp)/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_asset/file/24921743/1027344380.jpg)
