Unity's new pay structure includes per install fees

[Potkeny]

Unity’s new pay structure ties a fee to game installs, when the Unity Runtime code is booted up on a player’s device, rather than a revenue sharing model.
...
“We are introducing a Unity Runtime Fee that is based upon each time a qualifying game is downloaded by an end user,” a Unity representative said in a blog post detailing the fee. “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.”
...
Free-to-play games will have another option, which is to use Unity’s LevelPlay service for game ads, to offset the fees.
...
A Unity representative told Polygon that the “installation and initialization of a game via streaming or web browser is considered an install.”

(https://www.polygon.com/23870247/unity- ... nstall-fee)

And potentially even pirated copies will cost the game devs money?

Fun times ahead.

[suzyne]

Every Godot developer is probably feeling pretty smug right now.

[Potkeny]

And of course they changed the "Install definition" section, removing "or web browser" from it.. sounds like they didn't think it through at all

Install definition

The installation and initialization of a game or app on an end user’s device as well as distribution via streaming or web browser is considered an “install.” Games or apps with substantially similar content may be counted as one project, with installs then aggregated to calculate the Unity Runtime Fee.

https://web.archive.org/web/20230912151 ... untime-fee

[Moonchild]

So effectively they are tightening the screws on indie developers who won't be able to afford releasing unity games to the public as they will get slammed with "install fees".
I wonder when 4chan will have their army start "installing unity games" of devs they hate just to hurt them.

[jobbautista9]

Oh, you don't need 4chan for that. Just make the game popular enough for Microsoft to include it in their Xbox Game Pass and the install fees will come naturally

[Moonchild]

Actually the plot thickens.

Apparently devs are now being given the opportunity to get a 100% instal fee waiver..... IF they agree to use Unity's in-app ad service.

[Potkeny]

Afaik reduced fee was always an option with their built-in ADs, maybe to 100%, I think they didn't specify the number in the original announcement.

On the other hand, strange things still happen to them

UPDATE 15/9/23: The "credible" death threat that prompted the closure of Unity offices yesterday was made by a Unity employee, police have now revealed.

https://www.eurogamer.net/unity-closes- ... ng-changes

[Moonchild]

Also, the ToS were changed back in April (on the quiet) to remove a licensing out (perpetual licensing terms) for older licensing usage -- and the new one was pushed for 2022 LTS, which probably covered any dev not on -current. There's even speculation that a lot of this was done as well to crash the share price to illegally reinvest at the low point caused by own actions, with how stuff was sold at very opportune times.

So, bunch of premeditated moves for sure, and a total breach of trust that I don't think can be repaired at this point. All clearly on executive management, too. Now I don't condone death threats, but there's no fault with the other Unity employees as far as i can see.

[vannilla]

Sometimes you have to wonder why executives have to exploit everything in sight despite having a sustainable business model already. This isn't the first time nor will it be the last.
I don't know if Unity's model was actually sustaibable, but it certainly allowed them to keep going for several years (ten years? How long has it been?) with no major issues repoted by news outlets or anything like that.
It feels like these executives want to move on to some other new project but in fear of competition from their old job they make scorched earth all around. I can't even fathom an explanation for this kind of behaviour, otherwise.

[Moonchild]

I don't know if Unity's model was actually sustaibable

It was.
AFAIK: Unity, like other dev environments, would charge a license fee to use their tools and engine in a product. That is, ahead of time, at specific rates. Unreal does the same, for example. it's a good model, obviously works and is sustainable for both the dev platform and the creators using it.

[daemonspudguy]

Sometimes you have to wonder why executives have to exploit everything in sight despite having a sustainable business model already.

Because modern capitalism has become so brainwormed that it refuses to accept "infinite money, for minimal work, forever" as a favorable endpoint despite that literally being the endpoint.

[Potkeny]

So they got to this point, trying to salvage the situation I guess..

https://blog.unity.com/news/open-letter-on-runtime-fee

[vannilla]

I don't know what all that entails because I don't know about the different licenses, but what they should've done is say: "we will go back to how things have been before the controversial announcement."
Granted, this will probably be another Twitter situation where everybody screams boycott and two weeks later they are still there, but the point is that Unity has basically ruined its business model and I wouldn't be surprised if something were to actually happen.

[Moonchild]

I don't know what all that entails because I don't know about the different licenses, but what they should've done is say: "we will go back to how things have been before the controversial announcement."

But they are saying "that wasn't sustainable". I don't know where all the money went from the plus and pro subscription models then, if not into sustaining the company...
I mean, of it's not sustainable with a free tier, then don't offer a free tier. Personally I'd just tell users that indie developers can use the tools for a very small subscription amount instead to sustain the company. Indie devs even hobbyists I'm sure would mostly just agree with it, but this sudden grab bag "we're going to fudge some numbers and send you an invoice" proposed model was clearly unacceptable.

I also think that with what happened "just going back to what was before" won't repair the damage in trust.