It won’t get back the developers it lost in its fee debacle

The Runtime Fee Policy isn’t Going to Fix It: Unity has a Problem with the Developers. And it’s Not Going To Fix It

The games will be assessed with the new fee in the future. Instead of charging per installation, Unity will now let developers choose: “For games that are subject to the runtime fee, we are giving you a choice of either a 2.5 percent revenue share or the calculated amount based on the number of new people engaging with your game each month.” The blog does not make clear what metric by which developers are supposed to calculate what to pay.

With this new update, Unity is also addressing some developer backlash by reinstating the ability for developers to use whatever TOS that correspond to their version of Unity. In 2019, Unity stated that it would allow users to use the terms of service that corresponded with whatever version of Unity a developer was working with. Older terms of service would not apply if the developer did not update their version of Unity. It also said it would maintain a website where users could track changes to Unity’s terms of service.

Throughout this rollout, users have asked how Unity will determine when a game has met download and revenue thresholds. Previously, it said it relies on proprietary software but would not divulge details about how the software worked. Developers were concerned that “proprietary software” was either unreliable, involved inserting unwanted DRM or would run afoul of privacy laws. Unity has walked this back entirely, stating that now it will allow users to self-report revenue.

Unity acknowledged its poor communication throughout the process. “I want to start with simply this: I am sorry,” Whitten said. “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 what changes Unity makes, the studio inSheffield, Necrosoft Games, will not be using it. He says we don’t trust them to stick to their word. We don’t trust their updates to affect us as PC/ console developers in a positive way. I think they have done irreparable damage to their brand for game developers in general, and the walkback isn’t going to fix it.”