Why Unity's New Install Fees Are Spurring Massive Backlash Among Game Developers
Game developers aren't happy with a new policy from Unity that will cost developers a small fee every time someone downloads a game built on Unity's game engine.
It's called the Unity Runtime Fee, and the new pricing model will apply to developers who reach a certain amount of installs and revenue.
"We are introducing a Unity Runtime Fee that is based upon each time a qualifying game is downloaded by an end user," Unity's announcement reads in part. "We chose this because each time a game is downloaded, the Unity Runtime is also installed. Also we believe that an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share."
The Unity Runtime Fee is scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2024, and it's been universally panned by developers on social media since its announcement earlier today.
SIGH pic.twitter.com/YgJEKGVQEI
Unity's blog post details what games will qualify for the Unity Runtime Fee, based on two key criteria:
Unity further lays out the minimum revenue and install count to qualify, with different thresholds for developers using Unity Personal/Unity Plus, Unity Pro, and Unity Enterprise. For smaller indie developers who use Unity Personal/Unity Plus, they'll have to pay Unity $0.20 per install once their game passes $200,000 in revenue over the last 12 months and 200,000 life-to-date installs. This new policy has caused a lot of backlash among developers, who are raising concerns about free-to-play games, charity bundles, and more.
One big concern is surrounding "freemium" games that cost nothing to download and rely on in-game purchases for revenue. For instance, if a free-to-play game has made $200,0000 in the last 12 months but has millions of
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