Unity Technologies recently announced a policy change that sparked outrage among developers. Starting from January 1, 2024, they will introduce a new fee called “Unity Runtime Fee” based on the number of game installations for their popular game engine, Unity. This decision has received significant backlash from the community.
In light of the concerns raised, Marc Whitten, the leader of the Unity engine and editor team, publicly apologized for not consulting with a wider range of stakeholders and incorporating their feedback before implementing the new fee. As a result, Unity Technologies has decided to revise their policy in response to the feedback received.
Under the updated policy, the Unity Personal and Unity Plus plans will remain free, and games developed using these plans will not be subject to the runtime fees. The changes will primarily affect the Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise plans, which will now only be subject to runtime fees starting from the next Long-Term Support (LTS) version of Unity released after 2024. Existing games and ongoing projects will not be affected unless developers choose to upgrade to a newer version of the Unity engine. Furthermore, the fee will only apply if developers surpass two thresholds: generating over USD 1 million in gross gaming revenue within a 12-month period and attracting 1 million first engagements. Games with less than $1 million in revenue within 12 months will be exempt from the fee. Unity Technologies has also eliminated the requirement for using the Unity splash screen.
For games eligible for runtime fees, developers will have the option to calculate the lower amount between 2.5% of monthly gross revenue or the number of new users each month. It is important to note that these figures will be self-reported based on available data.
To address concerns and provide further details, a live chat will be held on September 23rd at 5pm, where Jason Weimann will answer questions and provide clarifications. Additionally, Unity Technologies mentioned that they intend to relax and abolish some of the previous restrictions on the “Unity Personal” plan that were in place prior to the policy announcement. This effort reflects their commitment to curb the trend of developers moving away from Unity due to the controversies surrounding the fee changes.
The Unity community eagerly awaits further updates and clarifications as the company takes steps to address the concerns raised by developers. This revision to their policy showcases Unity Technologies’ responsiveness to community feedback and their commitment to maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with their developer community.
Here is an open letter to our community:
https://t.co/qadAWzdGkb— Unity (@unity) September 22, 2023
Recently, a policy review for the Unity Runtime Fee was announced, but Marc Whitten, who leads the Unity engine and editor team, has revealed the new fee policy.
Announcement of policy changes which caused uproar
Unity Technologies suddenly announced that from January 1, 2024, it will introduce a usage fee called “Unity Runtime Fee” based on the number of game installations for the “Unity” game engine. It received a boost in back from many developers.
In response, Marc Whitten apologised, saying he should have spoken to more people and incorporated their feedback before announcing the introduction of the Running Unity Fee. In response to various concerns, we have decided to make changes to our recently published policy.
“Unity Personal” and “Unity Plus” plans remain free
In particular, the Unity Personal and Unity Plus plans will remain free, and games built with them will not be charged runtime fees based on the number of installations.
Changes will also be made to the Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise plans to which runtime fees apply, and the runtime pricing policy will only apply from the next LTS version of Unity released after 2024. Currently shipping games and projects you are currently working on will not be included unless you upgrade to a newer version of Unity. The fee only applies if you exceed two thresholds: USD 1 million in gross gaming revenue over a 12-month period and 1 million first engagements. Games with less than $1 million in revenue over a 12-month period will not be subject to the fee. It also removes the requirement to use the Unity splash screen.
For games eligible for runtime fees, you can choose the lower amount calculated based on monthly gross revenue of 2.5% or the number of new users each month. Figures are self-reported based on available data.
A live chat will be held from 5pm on September 23rd where Jason Weimann will provide details and answer questions. Also, in the announcement, it was mentioned that some of the restrictions on “Unity Personal” that existed before the riots would be relaxed and abolished, and it seems that they want to put a stop to the trend that cannot be prevented from “away from Unity” caused by the riots.
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