After the absolute disaster that was their original Runtime Fee announcement, Unity have now put up another apology and announced what the new plan is going forward.
Their new plan will keep Unity Personal free and there's no Runtime Fee for games made with it. The revenue cap there is also moving up to $200,000 and they're removing the requirement to show the Made with Unity splash screen. Additionally, no game earning less than $1 million in a 12 month period will be subject to the Runtime Fee.
For developers on Unity pro and Enterprise, the Runtime Fee will now only apply with the next LTS version of Unity shipping in 2024. So existing games and games with older Unity versions will not be included (unless developers choose to upgrade).
Unity said they will also "make sure that you can stay on the terms applicable for the version of Unity editor you are using – as long as you keep using that version", so they won't change the terms for existing users. Although, we've heard that before and they changed their mind as I noted in a previous article.
For games that are subject to their new Runtime Fee, they will offer a choice of either a 2.5% revenue share "or the calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month" and those numbers will be self-reported by developers and they will "always" be billed the lesser amount.
They're also inviting developers to a live fireside chat hosted by Jason Weimann today at 8 PM UTC.
Pictured Credit - Unity
As for how Unity will calculate the Runtime Fee from the FAQ it states: "While we always recommend you supply your own data, in the absence of that, we will use our own data from Unity services that you have agreed to integrate into your project, and readily available external data." and they also confirmed the Unity Runtime does not phone home by default unless developers have hardware stats enabled.
The new plan that has a fresh policy page here is a lot better that's for sure but is it enough? Their original announcement and the anger it caused for developers has broken a lot of trust.
What are your thoughts?
Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
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Feels like any good will they had with the community is gone with their recent bad decisions. This is a decent walk-back, but requiring people to be online to use the editor is annoying.
I hope people continue to use open source solutions like Godot in the future
I hope people continue to use open source solutions like Godot in the future
12 Likes, Who?
I've already switched to Godot and ported what I had there. It isn't much, but I don't plan on going back. Always online, for a development environment, is trash. Their top executives clear well over $100 million. Apparently, they are spending half a billion yearly on marketing. If they are bleeding profit and want ways to get back in the green, going after the developers profits should not be their first priority.
12 Likes, Who?
I started with Godot a year ago. I saw the writing on the wall with Unity, which is why I chose to learn Godot. The recent debacle just cemented my decision from a year ago. I hope this will give the current Unity developers the off ramp they need and I hope they take it.
10 Likes, Who?
Unity changed the rules to make more money, and then rolled back (a little), but not because they actually care, only because of the hate toward them.
Very different, but same feel IMO, it’s just like the "greenwashing" from the big corpo. They don’t care at all, it’s just because it’s in tune with the times.
Very different, but same feel IMO, it’s just like the "greenwashing" from the big corpo. They don’t care at all, it’s just because it’s in tune with the times.
4 Likes, Who?
Philadelphus Sep 22, 2023
Hopefully this is a better deal for all the people with Unity games on the market or in advanced stages of completion. But I'd be surprised if we don't see a wave of people switching engines in future, and maybe even porting over their already-on-the-market games to new engines.
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I think the CEO has to be fired.
I don't say this lightly, but I think trust in the organisation has been badly breached, and unless and until the senior person responsible for this planned deception is fired, it's going to be difficult for the organisation to redeem itself.
I note from the most recent posting that it's not the CEO who is apologising, but one of their subordinates.
I don't say this lightly, but I think trust in the organisation has been badly breached, and unless and until the senior person responsible for this planned deception is fired, it's going to be difficult for the organisation to redeem itself.
I note from the most recent posting that it's not the CEO who is apologising, but one of their subordinates.
3 Likes, Who?
PublicNuisance Sep 22, 2023
I've already switched to Godot and ported what I had there. It isn't much, but I don't plan on going back. Always online, for a development environment, is trash. Their top executives clear well over $100 million. Apparently, they are spending half a billion yearly on marketing. If they are bleeding profit and want ways to get back in the green, going after the developers profits should not be their first priority.
I started with Godot a year ago. I saw the writing on the wall with Unity, which is why I chose to learn Godot. The recent debacle just cemented my decision from a year ago. I hope this will give the current Unity developers the off ramp they need and I hope they take it.
Care to link to your games ? Always looking for more Linux games that use a FOSS engine.
2 Likes, Who?
ElectricPrism Sep 22, 2023
Always Online Editor?
Welcome to the future of digital hell on earth.
This is the world as it will be if we fail in our foss quest.
The Lord of the Bin
Welcome to the future of digital hell on earth.
This is the world as it will be if we fail in our foss quest.
The Lord of the Bin
7 Likes, Who?
ElectricPrism Sep 22, 2023
To continue above ^^ Mudahar today covered 10 years of Xbox leaks. Its clear the global leaders are trying to get rid of Personal Computing and move gaming to "the cloud" where you can't own a copy, content can be censored, updated or removed and game preservation and emulators is a thing of the past.
I don't think these moves by Unity are missteps, they might as well come out and say they only want you to be able to Stream Their Editor since that seems to be the way things are going.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=z_XUBUc_uDQ
I don't think these moves by Unity are missteps, they might as well come out and say they only want you to be able to Stream Their Editor since that seems to be the way things are going.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=z_XUBUc_uDQ
2 Likes, Who?
Kimyrielle Sep 22, 2023
So if you don't keep track of user installations, don't use any of their intrusive "services", and aren't publicly traded...they take an educated guess?
Also, what the heck is "initial engagement"? A term you come up with when you attended too many board meetings? Or had to much coffee?
Also, what the heck is "initial engagement"? A term you come up with when you attended too many board meetings? Or had to much coffee?
3 Likes, Who?
ElectricPrism Sep 22, 2023
I heard from the Xbox Document Leak they are in conversation with Nintendo to buy them WTF??????????
stinks of klaus
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 22 September 2023 at 10:59 pm UTC
stinks of klaus
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 22 September 2023 at 10:59 pm UTC
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Also, what the heck is "initial engagement"? A term you come up with when you attended too many board meetings? Or had to much coffee?I imagine it's first install for traditionally purchased games + first interaction with the game on streaming services + maybe first time players via WebGL clients but that last one seems like it would be just about impossible to track accurately.
1 Likes, Who?
Also, what the heck is "initial engagement"? A term you come up with when you attended too many board meetings? Or had to much coffee?"initial engagement" means you're totally ready to invent a bunch of new acronyms.
1 Likes, Who?
Such heroes.
I hope devs can see this for what it is and continue to migrate away from Unity, ideally to Godot or other open source engines.
I hope devs can see this for what it is and continue to migrate away from Unity, ideally to Godot or other open source engines.
1 Likes, Who?
Always Online Editor?is companies are subjected to this, imagine what they plan to do with mortals
Welcome to the future of digital hell on earth.
This is the world as it will be if we fail in our foss quest.
The Lord of the Bin
0 Likes
unity had over 1 million of users prior to that shitI've already switched to Godot and ported what I had there. It isn't much, but I don't plan on going back. Always online, for a development environment, is trash. Their top executives clear well over $100 million. Apparently, they are spending half a billion yearly on marketing. If they are bleeding profit and want ways to get back in the green, going after the developers profits should not be their first priority.how is it possible to spend 500 million USD on marketing of a niche toolset, that will be used, roughly speaking, by few thousands developers in the world? do you really need to have billboards and bus paintovers with unity ads for that?
I mean, it is not made for stupid people, probably developers are smart enough to look up for available engines, including unity.
0 Likes
I really doesn't matter what they come up with now - the trust is gone.
Who in their right mind would bet on this horse when they could come up with other bullshit at any time to fuck you over?
Then the next CEO would just have to execute the same orders from the board of greedy "investors"
Last edited by Termy on 23 September 2023 at 7:51 am UTC
Who in their right mind would bet on this horse when they could come up with other bullshit at any time to fuck you over?
I think the CEO has to be fired.
Then the next CEO would just have to execute the same orders from the board of greedy "investors"
Last edited by Termy on 23 September 2023 at 7:51 am UTC
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I think the CEO has to be fired.CEOs will be kicked one day and be provided a golden parachute or two to soften the blow...
0 Likes
rustybroomhandle Sep 23, 2023
This is very likely the result they were aiming for in the first place. It's a standard coercion tactic, sometimes referred to as "Door in the face" that involves making a big demand that they know will be outright rejected and then doing some small concessions knowing that people would then be more open to it.
EDIT: what person above said also :)
Last edited by rustybroomhandle on 23 September 2023 at 10:31 am UTC
EDIT: what person above said also :)
Last edited by rustybroomhandle on 23 September 2023 at 10:31 am UTC
0 Likes
ElectricPrism Sep 23, 2023
Just to comment on human nature,
Some humans look at the universe in a mechanized way and so they feel that everything works like clock-work and is under somebody's control be it god, the leader of a country, etc... somebody is __always__ in control.
Because of this view, there are always claims that "its' all part of the plan" -- and I've seen these claims like runaway trains the last few years especially.
The Q-people make this claim often. I find this view to be* popular among religious people as well.
Power Outage? Part of the plan
Shady Elections? Part of the plan
Pandemic? Part of the plan
Heads or Tails? Part of the plan
It's human nature to use past experiences to predict future experiences. People go to the grocery store and buy the same products they have 10 or 20 times and they expect the product to be the same. They don't expect the contents to change. Nor do most think maybe this tuna may make me sick.
Not to comment on anybody in particular, but I think some people are terrified at the possibility that some things in this world occur completely by chance,
and that not everything is a result of someone else's being a controller of tragedy (by the fates some say).
It's not very comforting to have this view, and I think some people default to preferring optimism instead of cold hard reality.
It makes me think of that song `That's What Makes the World go Round`
I think there are some great lessons in this.
* Like rejecting the mental comfort of telling yourself "If it's meant to be" -- like for example -- if it's meant to be, everything in life will fall into my lap with ease.
* And resisting viewing the world through the lens of magical thinking -- I realize that a few generations of technology is interpreted as a kind of "magic" -- but I think viewing the world without a kind of "mystic haze" is functionally superior.
We made it out of the dark ages once, and I'd like to see to it that we don't slip backwards in our thinking as we enjoy all these wonderful futuristic "blessings".
Human Technology has evolved, and I think Human Nature should try to as well (albeit this one happens more slowly)
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 23 September 2023 at 10:01 am UTC
Some humans look at the universe in a mechanized way and so they feel that everything works like clock-work and is under somebody's control be it god, the leader of a country, etc... somebody is __always__ in control.
Because of this view, there are always claims that "its' all part of the plan" -- and I've seen these claims like runaway trains the last few years especially.
The Q-people make this claim often. I find this view to be* popular among religious people as well.
Power Outage? Part of the plan
Shady Elections? Part of the plan
Pandemic? Part of the plan
Heads or Tails? Part of the plan
It's human nature to use past experiences to predict future experiences. People go to the grocery store and buy the same products they have 10 or 20 times and they expect the product to be the same. They don't expect the contents to change. Nor do most think maybe this tuna may make me sick.
Not to comment on anybody in particular, but I think some people are terrified at the possibility that some things in this world occur completely by chance,
and that not everything is a result of someone else's being a controller of tragedy (by the fates some say).
It's not very comforting to have this view, and I think some people default to preferring optimism instead of cold hard reality.
It makes me think of that song `That's What Makes the World go Round`
You must set your sights upon the heights
Don't be a mediocrity
Don't just wait and trust to fate
And say, that's how it's meant to be
It's up to you how far you go
If you don't try you'll never know
And so my lad as I've explained
Nothing ventured, nothing gainedI think there are some great lessons in this.
* Like rejecting the mental comfort of telling yourself "If it's meant to be" -- like for example -- if it's meant to be, everything in life will fall into my lap with ease.
* And resisting viewing the world through the lens of magical thinking -- I realize that a few generations of technology is interpreted as a kind of "magic" -- but I think viewing the world without a kind of "mystic haze" is functionally superior.
We made it out of the dark ages once, and I'd like to see to it that we don't slip backwards in our thinking as we enjoy all these wonderful futuristic "blessings".
Human Technology has evolved, and I think Human Nature should try to as well (albeit this one happens more slowly)
Last edited by ElectricPrism on 23 September 2023 at 10:01 am UTC
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