Dear partners, we are writing to you with some important news regarding the Unity game engine, which we use to create our games. As you may have heard, Unity Technologies has announced that they will introduce a new installation fee for all developers using their engine. This means that starting from January 1, 2024, we will have to pay a Unity Runtime Fee that is based on each time an end user downloads a qualifying game.
This decision deeply saddens us, as we have been loyal users of Unity for many years. We have enjoyed Unity’s flexibility, power, and ease of use, and we have created many excellent games like Guild of Guardians, Fishing Rival, and MetaPopit with it. We have also benefited from the large and supportive community of Unity developers, who have shared their knowledge, feedback, and assets with us.
However, we also understand that Unity Technologies is a business, and they have to make decisions that they believe are best for their future. We respect their choice and hope they will continue to provide high-quality service and support for their customers. We also hope that they reconsider their pricing model and offer more affordable options for game developers.
Runtime Fee Explained
The Unity Runtime Fee will only apply to games that meet specific revenue and install thresholds. For example, those using a Unity Personal or Unity Plus license will only have to pay once they hit $200,000 in 12 months and 200,000 installs. The threshold rises to one million for Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise plans. The fee will also vary depending on the number of installs and the game’s region. We will do our best to minimize the impact of this fee on our budget and your future games.
However, we also want to inform you that this type of payment does not affect small niche titles and large products that use additional Unity services. According to Unity Technologies, games that don’t meet the established threshold of audience or revenue per year will not be subject to the Unity Runtime Fee. This means that if you are a fan of making smaller or experimental games with us, you can still take joy in them at no extra cost.
On the other hand, games that use additional Unity services such as cloud hosting, multiplayer networking, analytics, ads, etc., will also not be deeply affected by the Unity Runtime Fee, as the subscribers of Unity Enterprise, for example, can pay as low as 1 cent per install. This is because the chosen extra services already generate revenue for Unity Technologies through other means. Therefore, if you love developing more complex games, you can do that without breaking the bank.
What’s the Verdict?
Despite this change, we want to assure you that we are still committed to creating spectacular games for you. We still believe in the Unity engine’s capabilities and will continue to use it for our current and upcoming projects. Our team will also keep exploring other game engines and platforms and look for new opportunities and challenges. We are always eager to learn new skills and technologies and are not afraid of change.
We thank you for your continued support and understanding. We know this news may affect your game development experience and expectations, but we hope you will stick with us and enjoy what our partnerships offer. We promise to deliver the best quality and value possible, and we hope to surprise and delight you with our creativity and innovation.
We also want to let you know that we continue to support our partners who seek to develop games in Unity. We value our collaborations and friendships with them and will not let this change affect our relationships. We will share our experiences and insights with them and help them overcome any challenges they may face.
Furthermore, we can also help our partners choose among other game engines and advise on their capabilities, licenses, and costs. There are many alternatives to Unity in the market, such as Unreal Engine, Godot Engine, GameMaker Studio, Cocos2d-x, etc. Each of them has its own strengths and weaknesses, advantages and disadvantages. Based on our research and testing, we can provide unbiased and honest opinions on each of them.
We will fully support you in your decision about making a game using an engine other than Unity, and ensure that your choice lands on the one that will benefit your requirements the most. So, if you are interested in learning more about other game engines, keeping your game development on Unity without draining your wallet, or switching from Unity to another game engine, please feel free to contact us anytime. We are happy to assist you in any way we can.
