Unity is Doing Away With Its Controversial Fees

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Unity is Doing Away With Its Controversial Fees

Key Takeaways

  • Unity has canceled the controversial Runtime Fee for the use of its game engine.
  • First implemented in September 2023, the model charged developers depending on how many times their games were downloaded after they hit a certain milestone in revenue.
  • Under the new pricing model, Unity Personal will continue to be free until a developer’s revenue hits $200,000, while all other models will return to being traditional subscriptions.

As a long-time Unity user who has spent countless hours creating games using this powerful engine, I am thrilled to see the company finally ditching its controversial Runtime Fee model. Being part of the indie game development community, I’ve seen the outrage and frustration that came with the introduction of this new pricing structure last year.

In a recent announcement, the widely-used game development engine, Unity, has officially scrapped its contentious Runtime Fee, a policy that was first introduced in September 2023. Launched back in 2005, Unity remains a favorite among independent developers and has been instrumental in creating numerous hit games like Hollow Knight, Cuphead, Subnautica, Among Us, and many more.

In 2020, Unity introduced a modified licensing system for their game engine. Rather than relying on a straightforward subscription fee like they did previously, Unity began billing developers based on the number of times their games were downloaded following a specific revenue threshold. This shift sparked widespread discontent among game developers due to its intrusive nature and susceptibility to manipulation, leading many creators to refrain from using the engine. A month after this announcement, John Riccitiello, Unity’s CEO, resigned from the company.

As a devoted fan, I’m thrilled to share that Matt Bromberg, who took over as CEO at Unity in May 2024, has made an exciting announcement! He’s doing away with the Runtime Fee, effective immediately. After consulting with our community, customers, and partners, it was clear that this change wasn’t well-received.

Unity Will Return to More ‘Traditional’ Ways of Charging Game Devs

On previous occasions, Unity has revised its contentious Runtime Fees structure. Shortly after announcing the pricing model, certain aspects were modified in response to strong criticism. During this period, the engine manufacturer granted exemptions for games running on older versions of Unity from paying fees and permitted developers to voluntarily report their earnings rather than monitoring the downloads of their games. This move aimed to address the primary concerns raised by the pricing model.

It appears that the implemented changes did not suffice. Although Unity is a widely-used game engine, it’s been experiencing a decrease in market share recently. This can be attributed to the negative perception surrounding its introduction of Runtime Fees, which has led some users to opt for alternatives like Godot and Unreal Engine.

Back in the early days of this year, I found myself among the 1,800 individuals who were let go from Unity. This wave of layoffs seems to be a pattern that’s been on the rise in the gaming industry since 2023. It’s possible that the uproar over the Runtime Fees didn’t make things any easier. Whether Unity will successfully win back the trust of its community post-Runtime Fees remains uncertain, but it’s clear to many that this move is a step towards the right path.

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2024-09-12 22:53