Unity Apologies, Makes Big Changes to Runtime Fee

Unity apologized for introducing a controversial new runtime fee for its game engine and is making dramatic changes based on the feedback it received.

“We should have spoken with more of you and we should have incorporated more of your feedback before announcing our new Runtime Fee policy,” Unity Create lead Mark Whitten writes. “Our goal with this policy is to ensure we can continue to support you today and tomorrow, and keep deeply investing in our game engine. You are what makes Unity great, and we know we need to listen, and work hard to earn your trust. We have heard your concerns, and we are making changes in the policy we announced to address them.”

As you may recall, Unity unveiled its install-based Unity Runtime Fee earlier this month, and it immediately ran into a wall of criticism from developers who complained that it would make their businesses unsustainable. The firm initially claimed that only 10 percent of its user base would need to pay fees, but with criticisms mounting, it has bowed to the inevitable. Here’s what’s new:

Unity Personal will remain free, with no runtime fees, and Unity is raising the cap from $100,000 to $200,000 and will no longer require games to display a “Made with Unity” splash screen. No games with under $1 million in annual revenues will need to pay a fee.

For those on Unity Pro or Enterprise, Unity will impose no fees on games that are currently shipping or in development. Instead, its new runtime fee policy will only apply beginning with the next LTS version of Unity shipping in 2024 and beyond. That said, developers who choose to upgrade existing titles to that coming version of Unity will be subject to the fee.

For those games that are subject to a fee, Unity will now offer two options, a 2.5 percent revenue share or a calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with the game each month. Both will be self-reported, and developers will always be billed the lesser amount.