Unity is reversing course following a highly criticized attempt to alter its developer fee structure from a per-download model, the company revealed on Friday. Current Unity Personal platform subscribers will not be subjected to additional charges for game development, and the revenue cap for games created on this plan will be modified.
Under the revised policy, the revenue cap for Unity Personal will be raised from $100,000 to $200,000, and the requirement for the “Made with Unity” splash screen will be eliminated, according to Marc Whitten, Unity Create leader. The company is also making changes to its revenue policies, declaring that games generating less than $1 million in revenue over 12 months will not be affected by the new plan…
However, users of future Unity iterations, set to debut in 2024, will face higher fees compared to those who have already utilized the software for game launches or are presently in development. Marc Whitten clarified, “The Runtime Fee policy will only apply beginning with the next LTS version of Unity shipping in 2024 and beyond. Your games that are currently shipped and the projects you are currently working on will not be included – unless you choose to upgrade them to this new version of Unity.”
Developers will have the option to select how their future fees are calculated, with Whitten stating, “For games that are subject to the runtime fee, we are giving you a choice of either a 2.5 per cent revenue share or the calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month.” The response from developers to this somewhat complex arrangement remains to be seen.
In a statement, Unity expressed, “You are what makes Unity great, and we know we need to listen and work hard to earn your trust.”
This shift in policy comes after Unity faced backlash from independent studios, including those behind popular titles like Among Us, Slay the Spire, and Cult of the Lamb. These studios had threatened to abandon Unity due to the initial announcement that customers would be charged each time someone installed a game created using Unity’s engine.
Garry Newman, the creator of Garry’s Mod and founder of Facepunch Studios, likened Unity’s initial fee structure to Adobe charging Photoshop users per image view, stating that people were “furious” about the decision in an interview with the BBC.
The backlash against Unity’s announcement was so severe that the company had to close two of its offices after some employees reportedly received death threats. A spokesperson informed Bloomberg that the company had been “made aware of a potential threat to some of our offices” and had taken immediate steps to ensure employee safety.
The key exception to the deferred policy change is if a developer chooses to upgrade an existing game to the new Unity version, in which case the runtime fee policy would apply.
Whitten acknowledged the company’s missteps regarding the fee changes in the press release, admitting, “We should have spoken with more of you and we should have incorporated more of your feedback before announcing our new Runtime Fee policy.” He emphasized that the company’s objective with this policy shift is to ensure continued support for developers and ongoing investment in the game engine.
