Unity’s Game Installation Policy Changes Spark Controversy Among Developers”
More about Unity’s Game Installation Policy
Unity, the game engine, has announced that it will start charging developers every time a user installs their game, even when a user is reinstalling a game on a new computer. Naturally, this decision has left developers frustrated.
In a blog post on Tuesday, Unity unveiled its unprecedented and highly unpopular policy change, leading to immediate widespread frustration, confusion, and disbelief within the game development community. Starting January 1st, Unity Technologies will charge developers a Unity runtime fee on all games built with Unity, provided they have surpassed a minimum revenue threshold and minimum install count, both within the last 12 months.
Currently, the runtime fee threshold starts at $200,000 in revenue and 200,000 game installs, depending on which version of Unity is used. The fee is calculated based on the number of installs beyond the threshold, with developers charged up to $0.20 per install.
This might not seem like much, but it could add up significantly for many game studios. Unity has been behind countless games, including titles like Genshin Impact, Among Us, Cult of the Lamb, Drez, Kerbal Space Program, The Pelle Beyond, Volcano Princess, Mars First Logistics, Beat Saber, and even the Marvel Snap titles, to name a few.
Unity justified this new fee by stating, “We chose to do this because every time a game is downloaded, Unity runtime gets installed as well.” “We also believe that the initial install-based fee allows creators to continue to benefit financially from the player’s engagement, rather than solely from the initial install revenue, which aligns financial interests between developers and Unity.”
Why Game Developers Are Upset with Unity’s New Fee? Unfortunately, the revenue-sharing model for this new install fee may not be as straightforward as it first appears. Many developers have quickly pointed out numerous issues with it, including its impact on demos, refunds, subscription services like Xbox Game Pass, free-to-play games, and charity bundles. Notably, it doesn’t address the establishment of pirated games.
Unity has responded to some of these concerns, but its responses have not been entirely satisfying. The company initially confirmed that if a user removes a game and then reinstalls it on the same machine, the developer would be charged for each installation. After facing significant backlash, they backtracked on this and told Axios that developers would only be charged once in such scenarios.
“Developers Voice Concerns Regarding Unity’s Latest Installation Fee Approach”
However, if a user installs the same game on a different device, developers will be charged multiple times. Developers will also be charged for demo installations unless it’s a single level that cannot be upgraded to the full game.
Fortunately, installation through subscription gaming services won’t require developers to pay. Unity clarified to Axios that charges will be levied on distributors, so Microsoft, for example, will have to foot the installation bill for any games on Xbox Game Pass. Additionally, games included in charity bundles will reportedly be exempt from fees, providing Unity developers with a way to identify when their game is part of such bundles, although it’s not clear how the company will determine which installs are from charity bundles and which are not.
Unity hasn’t provided a concrete answer on how its installation-based fee system will work with software piracy; it essentially stated that it’s still figuring that part out.
Unity wrote on its official Ex/Twitter account, “We have already practices in our ad tech to identify deception, which will apply to initial points of information on this. We believe users will have concerns about this, and we will make a process available to them to present their concerns to our anti-deception team.”
This is all quite unsettling, but it gets even worse. Developers have further revealed that Unity has invented a new form of brigading that’s mandatory: install bombing. If multiple dissatisfied users come together to repeatedly uninstall and install a game, it could potentially bankrupt a studio, particularly small, indie developers who are especially sensitive to such policies.
Initially, the company’s response to concerns about piracy was similar. Since then, it has changed its tune, telling Axios that it hopes its policy change to charge only once per machine for developers in such scenarios will address this concern.”
How Unity Calculates Install Numbers
Apart from all this, there’s also the issue of how Unity is tallying up its installation numbers. When developers inquired, Unity refused to provide transparency regarding its installation data. Therefore, the company can easily provide any number, and developers will have no way to verify Unity’s workings.
” “We employ our unique data framework, which allows us to maintain a certain level of abstraction; however, it provides a precise tally for the runtime distribution in any specific project.”,” Unity wrote.
The new fee structure won’t apply to developers using Unity for films, education, or, oddly enough, gambling. It’s specifically aimed at Unity’s game developers who are receiving a truncated ending. The initiation of Unity Runtime fees is also particularly intriguing as Unity’s CEO, John S. Riccitiello, had sold 2,000 shares on September 6, less than a week before the announcement. This has led some to speculate that the company was well aware of how poorly this move would be received, yet it proceeded anyway.
In reality, Unity’s new fees have been ridiculed so much that many game developers are considering going public with a different game engine. With years of experience and training invested in Unity, this decision won’t be taken lightly.
However, at this point, it might just be a matter of cutting losses. With this announcement, Unity has shown developers that it’s no longer a safe game engine to rely upon – and regaining their trust is going to take a lot of work.”
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