The Impact of Unity Runtime Fee on Mobile Games

The controversy surrounding the Unity Runtime Fee has sparked legal debates and distrust among developers, leading to a growing rebellion within the industry.

Recently, Unity removed its terms of service, which only intensified the dissatisfaction among developers.

Unity is widely used by developers, both big and small. In fact, data.ai’s research has revealed that 71% of the biggest games in the industry utilize at least one Unity SDK.

Breaking Down the Numbers

According to data.ai, 53 out of the top 100 highest-earning mobile games are powered by Unity’s engine. These games have generated an estimated consumer spending of around $16 billion in 2023. This means that more than half of the total consumer spend on the top 100 games this year, which amounts to $30 billion, is attributed to Unity’s engine. If Unity proceeds with the Runtime Fee in 2024, they can expect a significant influx of revenue.

Furthermore, over two-thirds of all games have utilized Unity’s software development kits (SDKs). Out of the 100 biggest mobile games, 71 of them have been developed with the help of at least one Unity SDK. These games account for $22.2 billion of the $30 billion consumer spend. It’s important to note that the 71 games represent 74% of the overall earnings from the top 100 games.

Randy Nelson, the senior director of market insights at data.ai, summarized the findings: “As data.ai’s Game IQ data shows, the Unity engine’s use is prolific among the world’s top-earning mobile games. More than half of the top 100 grossing titles are built on it. Those games account for more than $16 billion – 50% – of all consumer spend on the top 100 so far this year. 71 of the 100 have incorporated at least some degree of Unity software.”

Although some popular games like Candy Crush and Roblox have managed to avoid the Runtime Fee, many other prominent mobile games, including Royal Match, Monopoly Go, Pokémon Go, and Coin Master, rely on Unity’s engine.