A Big Change for Unity: Industry Expert Mark Brown Shares Thoughts

Mark Brown, founder of Game Maker’s Toolkit and a former member of Pocketgamer.biz, has joined the chorus of industry experts expressing concern over Unity’s recent policy changes. Unity has implemented a 20 cents per install fee for games that exceed a certain revenue and install threshold within a year.

Brown outlined the potential issues that this change could introduce, including complications with Game Pass, Epic Game Store freebies, piracy, demos, bundles, and game re-installations. He even raised the possibility that some developers could end up owing Unity more money than they make from their games. Brown described the decision as baffling and criticized Unity for its treatment of indie game makers.

Unity’s Lost Trust

Brown’s opinion carries weight not only because of his own game-making experience but also because of his role as an educator who teaches others about game development, specifically using Unity.

While Brown plans to complete his in-progress game, Untitled Magnet Game, using Unity, he expressed his intention to explore other game engines in the future. He advised aspiring game developers who have been inspired by his videos and tutorials to consider alternative engines like Godot or Unreal.

The mobile games industry as a whole has united in opposition to Unity’s policy changes, and Brown’s perspective adds further weight to the criticism.