Unity Pricing Changes: What Does This Mean for Developers?

Unity Pricing Changes: What Does This Mean for Developers?studios independientes. Esta actualización introduce una tarifa mensual, denominada "Unity Runtime Fee", que se aplicará según el número de instalaciones de los juegos.Unity, one of the leading game engine platforms, has recently announced an update to its pricing policy that has stirred the developer community, especially independent studios. This update introduces a monthly fee, called "Unity Runtime Fee," that will be applied based on the number of game installations.
 

How will Unity's new fee affect developers?
 

Starting on January 1, 2024, the "Unity Runtime Fee" will be applied to games that have surpassed certain thresholds. For Unity Personal or Unity Plus users, their game must have generated at least $200,000 USD in the last 12 months and have a minimum of 200,000 installations during its lifetime. Meanwhile, games created by Unity Pro and Unity Expertise users must have generated at least $1 million USD in the last 12 months and have over a million installations before the fees apply.
 

Fee Breakdown 
 

The monthly fees will be calculated based on the additional number of installations per month, with cost variations depending on the Unity plan used by developers and the country where the games are installed. The fee structure is detailed below:
 

• Unity Personal and Unity Plus: $0.20 for each installation beyond 200,000.
• Unity Pro: Starts at $0.15 for each installation beyond a million, gradually decreasing to just $0.02.
• Unity Enterprise: Begins at $0.125 for each installation beyond a million, decreasing to $0.01.
   

Additionally, Unity will reduce the fees for games running in emerging markets, such as India, setting them at $0.02 for Unity Personal and Plus, $0.01 for Unity Pro, and $0.005 for Unity Enterprise.

How Unity aims to balance value and advocate for developers
 

Unity has justified this update by arguing that its game engine consists of two products: the Unity Editor and the Unity Runtime. They consider it reasonable to charge additional fees for the use of Unity Runtime since every time a game is downloaded, the Unity Runtime is also installed. The company states that this initial fee per installation allows creators to maintain continuous financial gains from player engagement.
 

Marc Whitten, President of Unity Create, expressed their aim to "better balance the exchange of value" between Unity and developers. It's important to note that the vast majority of Unity Editor users currently pay nothing and will not be affected by this change.

Outstanding Questions and Concerns
 

While Unity has clarified certain aspects, many questions persist among developers. These include how this fee will affect pirated games and whether games distributed through subscription services like Game Pass will be subject to this fee.
 

Unity has assured that they are attentive to the concerns of the community and are working to address them. As the implementation date approaches, more details and clarifications about this change in Unity's pricing policy are likely to emerge. Ultimately, the goal should be to find a balance that benefits developers and the company, ensuring economic viability for everyone in the gaming ecosystem.

Written by Ricardo Huizar, Motion Designer