The gaming industry was rocked by controversy last week when Unity, the company behind game engines like Genshin Impact and many indie | AA titles, suddenly announced a change in its policies to charge a fee for every time a game created with its technology is installed. Controversy, criticism, and even attacks quickly followed from developers, specialists, and players alike. The pressure has been so intense that it appears the company is now backtracking on its billing intentions.
Unity may backtrack on its billing policy
Moments ago, Unity's official Twitter account | X posted a message in which it offers an apology for all the inconvenience and confusion caused by its new billing policy, which is set to take effect on January 1, 2024. According to the company, they have taken note of everything that has happened and will proceed to make changes to the policy that caused the scandal, with an official announcement coming in a couple of days: "We've heard you. We apologize for the confusion and distress caused by the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday. We're listening, talking to members of our team, the community, customers, and partners, and we will make changes to the policy. We'll share an update in a couple of days. Thank you for your honest and critical feedback."
Why did Unity anger the gaming industry?
Last week, Unity announced a new policy that would go into effect on January 1, 2024, directly targeting subscription models like PlayStation Plus and Xbox Game Pass. Specifically, the company's intention was to charge a fee ranging from $0.01 USD to $0.20 USD for every installation of a game created with its engine.
After the initial backlash and the start of the scandal, Unity reversed course and stated that the fee would only be charged for the first installation of a game. This was in response to concerns that misuse could occur with multiple downloads, which would negatively impact the finances of studios and publishers. However, this change did not satisfy publishers and developers who argued that even an initial and single download fee would be a significant financial burden.
Subsequently, some studios, such as the creators of the indie hit Cult of the Lamb, threatened to stop selling their games as they refused to give Unity an extra penny beyond what had been previously agreed upon. On the other hand, the situation escalated to the point where credible reports of death threats led to the evacuation of the company's offices.
As a result, Unity will be in the public eye this week as they make changes to their billing policy.
Comments
Best
New