One year ago, the executives of the gaming engine Unity introduced a new fee model that sparked a wave of outrage, permanently damaged the reputation of the engine provider, and led to massive layoffs. Now, an unexpected story twist has followed.
What have the executives of Unity announced now? On the official website of Unity.com, CEO Matt Bromberg stated that they want to abolish the runtime fee introduced a year ago. Specifically, Bromberg writes:
“After extensive discussions with our community, customers, and partners, we have made the decision to eliminate the runtime fee for our game customers with immediate effect. Enterprise customers who are not in the gaming industry are not affected by this change.”
Pokémon Go is just one of many games developed in the Unity engine:
“So you’ve been fooling us for free”
What happened a year ago? When the Unity executives presented a new fee model for their engine in September 2023, they squandered the trust that had been built up over years among many developers. Suddenly, manufacturers were to pay a fee for every installation of “Unity Runtime” if a game met certain conditions.
The new model was heavily criticized, among other reasons, because much was unclear:
- What does “every installation” actually mean?
- Does this only apply to the first installation or really every installation?
- What about demos, free-to-play titles, and games that end up in subscription services like Game Pass or are part of a large bundle?
- What about educational games from universities?
After the initial backlash, there were first changes and further explanations for the new model, but these countermeasures were not enough to regain the lost trust. Only in October 2023, John Riccitiello stepped down as CEO of Unity Technologies. In January 2024, 1,800 employees of the company had to leave (via reuters.com).
Why the reversal now? According to the post from current CEO Matt Bromberg, Unity has always aimed to create an engine together with other industry participants in which everyone can develop great games for each other. The harsh realization that has been experienced over the past months:
However, we cannot pursue this goal if we are in conflict with our customers; this partnership must be fundamentally based on trust. In the last three months, I have been able to communicate with many of you, and I have repeatedly heard that you want a strong Unity and that you understand that price increases are a necessary part of enabling us to make the investments that advance games.
But these increases do not have to occur in a new and controversial manner. We want to deliver value at a fair price and in the right way, so you can continue to feel comfortable building your business long-term with Unity as a partner. And we are confident that if we prove ourselves as good partners and deliver great software and services, we have barely scratched the surface of what we can achieve together.
Matt Bromberg via unity.com
What is specifically planned at Unity? In principle, the old subscription model prior to the change is to apply to all Unity game customers from now on. However, a developer points out on X that there may be a hidden price increase of ten to twenty-five percent compared to the status quo from a year ago in the return to the old model.
How is the developer community reacting to this? Under the official post from Unity on X, there is a lot of mockery and frustration, with only a few thumbs up. One user asks how long this decision is likely to last. Another points out that the competing engine Godot has never had to retract a runtime fee.
Further comments like “So you’ve been fooling us for free” underline that the Unity executives still have a long way to go to regain the destroyed trust. How negatively the new model was received at the time is also shown by this report: One of the most successful games on Steam criticized Unity, donating over 180,000 euros to the competition
