The moment we’ve all been waiting for has finally arrived. Unity, the world’s most popular development platform, has announced their plans regarding their controversial fee restructuring. While it may not be the complete climbdown that many were hoping for, Unity’s official announcement does include some significant changes that go beyond expectations.
Unity Personal, the free plan, will remain free with no Runtime Fee for games built on Unity Personal. The cap for fees will increase from $100,000 to $200,000, and games with less than $1 million in 12-month revenue will not be subject to a fee.
For Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise users, the Runtime Fee will only apply starting with the version of Unity shipping in 2024 and beyond. This means that current active games and ongoing projects will be exempt from the fee. Games that do incur the Runtime Fee will have the option to choose between a 2.5% revenue share or a fee based on self-reported installs, whichever is the lesser amount.
In an open letter, Marc Whitten, the head of Unity Create, apologized for the lack of consultation and expressed their commitment to listening and earning back the trust of the community. The letter also stated that Unity wants to continue building the best engine for creators.
Background
In case you missed it, Unity had initially planned to revise their pricing structure, which included introducing a Unity Runtime Fee of $0.20 per install for games developed using Unity’s tools. This fee was intended to help the company turn a profit after operating at a loss for 18 years. However, Unity’s decision stirred up unexpected emotions among users, leading to widespread backlash.
Unity’s management now finds themselves in a challenging position, as they try to appease their disgruntled users while also satisfying their shareholders and investors. The company’s share price has plummeted by 80%, adding to the pressure.
Only time will tell how successful these latest changes will be in addressing the concerns raised by the community. Unity’s management and staff will undoubtedly be closely monitoring the reaction as they strive to regain trust and support.