After a tumultuous year, Unity has made the decision to cancel its runtime fee requirements. The decision comes, Unity says, after “deep consultation” both internally and externally.
In a statement posted on the company’s website, CEO and president Matt Bromberg said that the runtime fee went against Unity’s overall mission of “democratizing game development”.
“However, we can’t pursue that mission in conflict with our customers; at its heart, it must be a partnership built on trust,” Bromberg said. “I’ve been able to connect with many of you over the last three months, and I’ve heard time and time again that you want a strong Unity, and understand that price increases are a necessary part of what enables us to invest in moving gaming forward.”
He continued: “We want to deliver value at a fair price in the right way so that you will continue to feel comfortable building your business over the long term with Unity as your partner.”
Back in 2023, Unity announced plans to charge developers a fee for games after certain installation thresholds, seemingly punishing successful games. They made some changes to the fee after initial backlash, but still kept it in some way. Now, 12 months later, the company says its all going away.
What Unity Is Doing Instead Of Runtime Fees?
With this latest change, Unity is “reverting” the its seat-based subscription model for “all gaming customers, including those who adopt Unity 6”.
The plans and tiers are as follows:
- Unity Personal License: Will remain free, and have a revenue and funding ceiling for $200,000. The “Made with Unity” splash screen becomes optional with Unity 6
- Unity Pro: Starting January 1, 2025, subscription price will be $2,200 per year, per sit. Unity Pro is required of those with more than $200,000 in annual revenue and funding.
- Unity Enterprise: Starting January 1, 2025, a 25% subscription price increase will go into effect. Unity Enterprise is required for customers with over $25 million of annual revenue and funding. Unity Enterprise prices come via custom packages due to the nature of customers with these plans having “unique needs”.
“From this point forward, it’s our intention to revert to a more traditional cycle of considering any potential price increases only on an annual basis,” Bromberg said.
What do you think of Unity cancelling the runtime fee for developers? Let us know in the comments or join the discussion in our new community forum!
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