Unity Causes Upset in Game Development Community with New Runtime Fee
The gaming industry was taken aback this week when Unity, a popular game dev tools maker, announced their plans to introduce a new Unity Runtime Fee. This fee would charge Unity users $0.20 per install, leading to widespread dissatisfaction among the platform’s tens of thousands of users. Here’s everything you need to know about the situation.
September 12th: Unity’s New Pricing Structure Generates Controversy
Prior to the announcement, speculation was rife about the upcoming release of Unity’s Muse and Sentis AI systems. However, when Unity finally revealed its plans on September 12th, it became clear that the focus was on the introduction of the Unity Runtime Fee. This pricing change received a negative reception as it appeared to make things more difficult for aspiring game developers.
September 13th: Understanding the Unity Runtime Fee and Potential Workarounds
Amidst growing confusion about Unity’s motives, we compiled all the relevant information to provide clarity on the Unity Runtime Fee and how developers could potentially avoid it.
September 13th: Industry Reacts to Unity’s Pricing Decision
Soon after the announcement, social media platforms were flooded with comments from developers and publishers expressing their confusion, anger, and posing important questions in response to the fee.
September 13th: Unity’s Attempts at Damage Control
Unity took to X (formerly known as Twitter) to address users’ concerns and alleviate the negative impact of their decision. They claimed that 90% of users would not experience any change. However, critics argue that charging an unavoidable fee for users who are too deeply embedded in the platform is still a major issue.
September 14th: Unity CEO’s Shares Sell-off Raises Eyebrows
Further complicating the situation, it was revealed that John Riccitiello, Unity’s CEO, had sold off company shares a week prior to the announcement of the new pricing structure. While the sale might be unrelated, the timing raised concerns and contributed to a questionable perception of the CEO’s actions.
September 14th: Unity Offices Temporarily Close Following Death Threat
In a bizarre turn of events, Unity was forced to temporarily shut down two of its offices, including one where CEO John Riccitiello was scheduled to make an appearance, due to receiving death threats. Adding to the oddity, rumors suggest that one of the perpetrators was an employee of Unity.
September 15th: Developers Take a Stand Against Unity’s Runtime Fee
Game developers rallied together in an unprecedented move by collectively drafting a letter to Unity. Their ultimatum demanded the immediate cancellation of the Unity Runtime Fee and included a threat to remove ironSource and Unity Ads from their titles, effectively cutting off Unity’s advertising revenue.
September 15th: European Games Developer Federation Joins the Fray
The European Games Developer Federation also voiced its concerns, blaming EU legislation for enabling an American software giant like Unity to hold the European development community hostage. They called for action to address this issue.
September 15th: Insights from Industry Experts
Major figures within the gaming world, including Mark Brown from Game Maker’s Toolkit, Sérgio Varanda from Miniclip, and Kalle Kaivola from Lightheart Entertainment, shared their perspectives and hopes for the future, bringing attention to important questions.
Stay tuned for more updates on the Unity Runtime Fee as the story unfolds.
Photo by Ryan Snaadt on Unsplash