Unity finally addressed developers’ biggest questions about its new pricing model
After Unity announced, then modified, then re-announcened its new Runtime fee program, the video game development community wanted to know how and why this disastrous roll-out happened. In addition to the letter Unity Create president Marc Whitten published on Friday, he also held a live fireside chat on YouTube in which he addressed some of the community’s biggest questions and concerns.
One of the first things Whitten did, both in his letter and during the chat, was offer an apology.
“I just wanna say I’m sorry,” Whitten said in his Q&A with Jason Weimann, a YouTube creator known for his Unity tutorials. “It’s very clear that we did not take enough feedback before we rolled out the program.”
One of the first and most important questions asked had also been circulating throughout social media since Unity’s initial announcement: “why?” Why add onto Unity’s current pricing plan — which was a tiered, subscription-based service — something that quickly became universally reviled and just as quickly walked back.
“It’s very clear that we did not take enough feedback before we rolled out the program.”
“The most fundamental thing that we’re trying to do is [build] a sustainable business for Unity,” Whitten answered. He said the Runtime fee was meant to be a “balanced exchange” between Unity and its users that would incorporate a kind of “shared success.”
Additionally, the new plan now offers developers a choice. They can either pay fees based on “a calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month,” or a flat 2.5 percent of all revenue, whichever is lower.
(Neither the letter nor the Q&A addressed what exactly is involved with this “calculated amount,” and The Verge has reached out to
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