The Unity Runtime Fee is not going to Fix It… and what it has to do with the Unity Engine and how it affects Game Developers

The games that can be assessed with the fee have been changed. The fee would apply to games that met revenue thresholds. This applied to all games that were released. Now Unity is saying that the fee will only apply to games made with the next version of Unity that is expected to launch sometime in 2024.

Some developers say the damage is done despite the fact that the most egregious changes have been walked back. One developer says the willingness to change an agreement, even going so far as to remove their repository that stated they would not be beholden to the agreement, erodes trust. Part of that is because Sheffield and his team were among those “privy to these changes well before they went live, and pushed back against them,” he says. “We knew the reaction would be resoundingly negative, but we weren’t listened to.”

Throughout this rollout, users have asked how Unity will determine when a game has met download and revenue thresholds. They used to use proprietary software, but wouldn’t reveal details about how the software worked. The fear of developers was that proprietary software was unreliable, could be interfered with or could run afoul of privacy laws. Users will be able to self report revenue in the future, according to Unity.

Unity acknowledged its poor communication throughout the process. Whitten apologized and said he was sorry. “We should have spoken with more of you and we should have incorporated more of your feedback before announcing our new Runtime Fee policy.”

Regardless of whatever changes Unity makes, Sheffield’s studio, Necrosoft Games, won’t be using Unity for its next project. He says we don’t trust them to stick to their word. We don’t think it’s smart for them to update their engine in ways that affect us. I think they damage their brand for game developers nationwide, and the walkback isn’t going to fix it.