One sentence summary – Unity, a leading game development platform, has announced the rollback of its controversial “runtime fee” pricing policy after facing widespread criticism from developers, with key details of the revised policy including the exemption of games with less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue from the fee, demonstrating Unity’s willingness to listen to developer concerns and maintain its position in the industry.
At a glance
- Unity has announced the rollback of its controversial “runtime fee” pricing policy
- The policy would have introduced charges for each installation of games after certain milestones
- Unity’s Personal plan will remain free and games built on Unity Personal will not incur any runtime fees
- Games with less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue are exempt from the runtime fee
- Unity’s decision to revise the policy comes after criticism from developers and a decline in its shares
The details
Unity, a leading game development platform, has recently announced the rollback of its controversial “runtime fee” pricing policy.
This decision comes after facing widespread criticism from developers.
The policy, which would have introduced charges for each installation of games after certain milestones, caused significant concerns within the developer community.
Key details of the revised policy include:
Unity Personal Plan: Unity has confirmed that its Personal plan will remain free.
This ensures continued accessibility for developers.
Games built on Unity Personal will not incur any runtime fees.
Revenue Threshold: In response to developer concerns, Unity has exempted games with less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue from the runtime fee.
This financial threshold aims to support small and independent developers.
It alleviates their worries about the impact of the policy on their profitability.
The decision to revise the policy comes after a wave of criticism from developers.
Developers expressed fears over increased costs and potential limitations on their creative freedom.
Several independent and small-scale developers even organized a boycott of Unity in protest against the new pricing structure.
Since the announcement of the original pricing policy, Unity’s shares have experienced a decline of approximately 19% in value.
This highlights the significance of developer sentiment and the potential repercussions of pricing decisions in the gaming industry.
Unity’s decision to roll back the runtime fee policy demonstrates its willingness to listen to the concerns of its developer community.
It also shows Unity’s desire to maintain its position as a leading game development platform.
By ensuring continued accessibility for developers on the Personal plan and exempting lower revenue games, Unity aims to address the concerns raised.
Unity hopes to foster a more positive relationship with its user base.
It is worth noting that this revision in the pricing policy follows a period of intense competition between Unity and Epic Games.
Epic Games is another prominent player in the game development industry.
The rivalry between the two companies has fueled speculation about the potential impact on market dynamics, pricing strategies, and developer preferences.
As Unity moves forward with its revised approach, it will be interesting to observe how the developer community responds.
It remains to be seen whether this decision can restore confidence in the platform.
The gaming industry continues to evolve rapidly.
Pricing policies play a crucial role in shaping the relationship between game developers and development platforms.
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| reuters.com |
|---|
| – Unity has rolled back parts of its new “runtime fee” pricing policy – |
| The policy would have charged developers each time their game is installed after certain milestones are crossed – Unity’s Personal plan will remain free and there will be no runtime fee for games built on Unity Personal – Games with less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue will not be subject to the fee – Small and independent developers boycotted Unity, raising concerns of a shift to rival Epic Games – Unity’s shares have lost about 19% of their value since the announcement of the new pricing policy |
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