September 15, 2023 at 5:45 p.m. by Claus Ludewig – The game engine provider Unity has closed offices due to threats. What does this have to do with the controversial fee change?
Epic Games’ Unreal Engine 5 has been officially ready since May 2022. For example, there will be a new The Witcher based on this engine. Anyone who is a developer can download the graphics engine free of charge. Depending on the sales figures of the respective game, Epic Games must then be compensated with a five percent share of sales. Alternatively, there is the option of agreeing an individual usage contract with Epic Games. One of the main competitors recently caused a stir. Unity announced on September 12th that it would change the licensing model for the Unity Engine. Now the company from San Francisco numerous offices closed due to “potential threats”..
How much does the Unity engine cost?
Employees have already received death threats, as Bloomberg’s Jason Schreier reports. As a result, Unity offices in San Francisco and Austin, Texas, were temporarily closed. XR product designer Javier Busto has already confirmed that measures have been taken to protect employees. There has been a huge outcry since the announcement that developers would be required to pay a fee when a Unity game is installed from January 1, 2024. With Unity Personal, which was previously free to use, from sales of $200,000 and 200,000 installations of the product, $0.20 per installation will be paid to Unity via monthly billing. It remains unclear how Unity determines the number of installations and what happens with games from subscription models such as Xbox Game Pass.
Unity has now responded and made an offer to game engine developers. If a developer uses Unity’s Levelplay advertising platform, there should be no usage fees for the Unity Engine. Various forms of in-game ads can be integrated into Levelplay. So far, advertising banners and skippable advertising have only been available in mobile games on smartphones.
Also worth reading: No panacea: UE5 still has to mature, but it’s going to be awesome! A PCGH analysis
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Collection on Unity and controversial fee change:
After the announcement of fee changes for the Unity Engine, the company reacted. Due to death threats against employees, two Unity offices were temporarily closed. If a developer uses Unity’s Levelplay advertising platform, the license fees will be waived in the future.
Sources: TwitterBloomberg, Unity, Epic Games
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