Developers received a nasty surprise when Unity announced that those who use its game engine will be subject to a runtime fee, beginning next year. This runtime fee will be charged monthly on a per-installation basis.
Predictably, this led to a wave of complaints among developers, many of them small indie creators, pointing out how this change could affect their ability to profitably make games. Many also feel deceived, as the new system goes against Unity’s previous terms of service.
In a show of unity (pun unintended), developers have been helping each other overcome this new obstacle. Terraria developer Re-Logic has played its part by pledging to donate $100,000 to the open-source engines Godot and FNA. Additionally, the studio will be donating $1,000 a month each.
Re-Logic takes a stand
The act of camaraderie is commendable, but it becomes even more impressive when you learn that Terraria does not use Unity outside of a few elements on mobile and consoles. Re-Logic claims this was done because a simple Tweet wouldn’t suffice in this situation which affects so much of the gaming industry.
The studio hasn’t held back with its criticism of Unity’s new policy, claiming that the saddest part of the ordeal is the “flippant manner with which years of trust cultivated by Unity were cast aside for yet another way to squeeze publishers, studios, and gamers.” Re-Logic hasn’t asked for anything in exchange for its donations except for the engines to remain powerful and approachable for developers.
Unity has suffered a severe backlash, and in response, it has backtracked some points, and there are reports that a cap will be placed on the runtime fee. It may be a little too late, as some studios have already begun boycotts and disabling ads, including mobile developer Azur Games.
