Game developers keep posting angry comments about Unity's suddenly announced ``fee system based on the number of game installations''


by Jillian Northrup

On September 12, 2023, the game development platform Unity suddenly announced the introduction of a new pricing system called ` ` Unity Runtime Fee '' that ``determines usage fees based on the number of downloads and installations by the user.'' Many game developers have commented with statements of anger and disappointment regarding the introduction of this fee system.

Unity's new “per-install” pricing enrages the game development community | Ars Technica
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/09/game-developers-unite-against-unitys-new-per-install-pricing-structure/

Unity reveals plans to charge per game install, drawing criticism from development community | Eurogamer.net
https://www.eurogamer.net/unity-reveals-plans-to-charge-per-game-install-drawing-criticism-from-development-community

You can understand what kind of fee structure the Unity Runtime Fee is by reading the article below.

Unity introduced a pricing system that ``fees are generated every time a game is installed'' and game developers were furious, and ``Unity Plus'', which costs about 50,000 yen per year, also stopped accepting new applications - GIGAZINE



Mega Crit, the developer of the deck-building roguelike card game ' Slay the Spire ,' revealed that it had been developing a new work using Unity for over two years, and said, 'The introduction of Unity Runtime Fee 'Not only is it extremely harmful, especially for indies, but it erodes trust.' He also mentioned that Unity had removed its terms of service from GitHub, and stated that he would use another engine instead of Unity unless the pricing system and terms of service were reinstated. Mega Crit finally made an angry comment, ``We have never made an official statement so far, which means you guys have messed up the worst thing.''



Innersloth, the development studio behind the space werewolf game 'Among Us,' which suddenly became a huge hit around the world in 2020, said, 'Due to the price revision for Unity, it will be difficult to implement game content and features that you want to port to other platforms. 'It will cause delays,' he says, objecting to Unity's price revision.



Massive Monster, the developer of the cult-run action game Cult of the Lamb , strongly opposed the introduction of the Unity Runtime Fee.



In addition, with the introduction of Unity Runtime Fee from 2024, the official X account of 'Cult of the Lamb' will be able to release 'Cult of the Lamb' from game stores including Steam on January 1, 2024. They announced that they would be removing it and urged anyone who wanted to play it to buy it now.



Brandon Sheffield of Necrosoft Games, which works on game applications for smartphones, posted an article titled ``The Death of Unity'' on the official blog . In it, Mr. Sheffield argued, ``If you are starting a new game development project, I can say unequivocally that you should not use Unity. Unity is not a company you can trust at all.''

Furthermore, Sheffield said, ``Since John Riccitiello became Unity's CEO, Unity has become unstable by implementing unmaintained features, and at the same time has developed a strange business model. , it has steadily declined,'' and criticizes ``Unity is desperately digging its own grave in search of money.''

On the overseas online bulletin board site Reddit, No_Storm7311, a developer of mobile games for children, said, ``If we apply Unity's new fee system, we will have to pay 109% of our revenue to Unity in 2024.'' It will be calculated.'' No_Storm7311 said, 'We do not display ads in our game. The only way to monetize this game is through in-app purchases. We decide how and how much to monetize our users. It should be our fault, not Unity's,' he said, arguing that Riccitiello should be fired for his 'ignorance about the game market.'

Unity wants 108% of our gross revenue
by u/No_Storm7311 in Unity3D



'This is a complete disaster,' Dan Marshall, creator of game studio Size Five Games, told gaming news site Eurogamer. Indie studios just don't have the resources to deal with these kinds of shitty logistics.' Also, regarding asking people to pay based on the number of installs, they said, ``How the number of installs is tracked is very vague and feels like it's set up half-heartedly.'' If I buy a game and install it on 3 PCs, does the developer have to pay for it 3 times? That's the worst case scenario. Subscription services like Gamepass suddenly become a huge headache. It will be.”

'I've already committed to Unity for my new game,' said Thomas Sala, developer of the open-world action game ' The Falconeer .' 'This is not a price increase, but a fundamental change in the way we do business together. I have no choice and there is no going back. This is a form of blackmail.'



Dillon Rogers, developer of the stealth horror FPS ' Gloomwood ', said, ``Even if there is no price change, there is no doubt that Gloomwood will be the last game developed with Unity.'' has indicated that it will no longer be used for future development.



・Continued
Unity, which made the price change, closed multiple offices due to threats - GIGAZINE



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