What will Steam do now that Unity has become more greedy?

[Lil Silly Vert]

Will they start a lawsuit against Unity for a breach of contract like Nintendo and Square Enix?

I'm not sure how this will gonna work... I've seen this and there is some drama going on with Unity and other gaming developers.

[Squirrel With Acorn]

It would have been much simpler to straight up charge a royalty fee based on sales that happen On/after Jan 1, 2024.

Apparently if a developer chooses to use Unity's ad service then the per install fee can be waived. So it feels like Unity real reason for all of this is to push developers to use their ad service in their games, so gamers are served ads during game play.

[Satoru]

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

It would have been much simpler to straight up charge a royalty fee based on sales that happen On/after Jan 1, 2024.

Apparently if a developer chooses to use Unity's ad service then the per install fee can be waived. So it feels like Unity real reason for all of this is to push developers to use their ad service in their games, so gamers are served ads during game play.

I can't wait for the every Unity game now having ads for QTE events just to avoid the fee

Also this doesn't really help because Unity's ad platform is actually hot trash now. They're scared because the other company's API is infinitely better so everyone is using that integration instead. So companies wlil have to choose between using a good ad API but potentially have weird and unpredicable costs, or avoid this one fee but have much much lower ad revenue from Unity's hot trash ad service.

[Squirrel With Acorn]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Paratech2008:

Yeah, I agree, Valve, even GOG, have no say in the matter...

I mean at that point if I was gog, I would

1) Give everyone 0.01 cents in their GOG wallet
2) sign up everyone for a 0.01 cent yearly subscription for gog games

Presto! all games are part of our new GOG Galaxy 2.0 subscription service which is magically exempt from Unity's policy! All these downloads are only available through our new GOG Galaxy subscription fee that definitely costs money and definitely is not an "Ikea is actually a non-profit" level ponzi scheme

Subscription services would be the one to pay that fee though, so they wouldn't be exempt from the new policy at all.

[Lystent]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

It would have been much simpler to straight up charge a royalty fee based on sales that happen On/after Jan 1, 2024.

Apparently if a developer chooses to use Unity's ad service then the per install fee can be waived. So it feels like Unity real reason for all of this is to push developers to use their ad service in their games, so gamers are served ads during game play.

I can't wait for the every Unity game now having ads for QTE events just to avoid the fee

The ire against advert thickens...

[Squirrel With Acorn]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

It would have been much simpler to straight up charge a royalty fee based on sales that happen On/after Jan 1, 2024.

Apparently if a developer chooses to use Unity's ad service then the per install fee can be waived. So it feels like Unity real reason for all of this is to push developers to use their ad service in their games, so gamers are served ads during game play.

I can't wait for the every Unity game now having ads for QTE events just to avoid the fee

Now that I think of it, I don't even think Valve allows games onto the store had has in game ads since that would be revenue they wouldn't be able to capture from that game.

[Satoru]

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Subscription services would be the one to pay that fee though, so they wouldn't be exempt from the new policy at all.

Unity has re-re-re-possibly-reclarified that subscription sevices, streaming services and web based are not counted to the install count. Note this is of 9/14 and god knows what Unity will say tomorrow.

[IFIYGD]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Początkowo opublikowane przez IFIYGD:

Yeah, well... the death threats or threats of violence have already started.
https://arstechnica.com/gaming/2023/09/potential-threat-shuts-two-unity-offices-after-per-install-fee-announcement/

I'm 99% sure this was bogus and is a smoke screen to try to garner 'sympathy' from the mob in some way, and to also negate any criticism as well, and to divert the news away from how utterly terrible this new deal is

Gamedevs were already organizing a boycott of Unity Unite in November and telling everyone to cancel their travel and attendance. Because that would be the actual way to show you are actually serious about this if attendance goes down to literally just booths and Unity employees

I'm not so willing to call it "probably bogus" with the ongoing and increasing social and political violence taking place in the US and online (globally). Every country has video games. Every country has guns. Every country has people with MH conditions. But only the US has this huge level of violence in a country not in an open hot war of some sort.
The threats could have been hoaxes or idle threats- but are you willing to take the chance that it wasn't bogus and some pissed off person with 4 guns and 20 boxes of ammo shows up at your office door?

[Lystent]

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

I can't wait for the every Unity game now having ads for QTE events just to avoid the fee

Now that I think of it, I don't even think Valve allows games onto the store had has in game ads since that would be revenue they wouldn't be able to capture from that game.

I've seen games with their own MTX stores. I don't think revenue from those go to steam due how they might bypass it...

[Jazneo]

unity dont stop you just going see alot games be turn off for sale. they could not deal money have pay to unity

[Satoru]

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Now that I think of it, I don't even think Valve allows games onto the store had has in game ads since that would be revenue they wouldn't be able to capture from that game.

Note the "games will all now have ads" was more of a joke on my part

Steam doesn't allow ad supported games on steam

Q: Does Steam pricing support games with paid ads?
A: No. Steam does not support paid ads or referral/affiliate revenue from showing ads to other games and/or products or services. If your game's revenue relies on advertising on other platforms, you will need to find a new model to ship on Steam. However if you have a game that is ad supported, and you want to ship it on Steam, you could consider having your game be a single purchase or making it free to play with microtransactions or additional content as DLC.

I mean if you set a price for a game, is the game then 'ad supported'? maybe? Maybe not? Might be allowed? possibly?

But it would be funny to have an ad supported QTE?? Right????

[Satoru]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Lystent:

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Now that I think of it, I don't even think Valve allows games onto the store had has in game ads since that would be revenue they wouldn't be able to capture from that game.

I've seen games with their own MTX stores. I don't think revenue from those go to steam due how they might bypass it...

Note that steam allows you to have your own MTX store, but the payment for those has to be through steam and has to use steam wallet. If you have an external store, like say Elite:Dangerous does, but you have to use a separate game client to access that store

Its sort of how steam handles NFT/crypto. A game on steam must not actually have crypto integrated into steam. HOWEVER a user can download an entirely separate client and lgo in and then use the entire ponzi NFT/Crypto nonsense. So Steam 'sorta' banned these games but not really. Its very much like how Pachinko operates in Japan. Gambling is mega-hyper-super illegal in Japan. But Pachinko is not 'gambling' because you cannot win money, in theory (note literally no one has ever redeemed a prize at a pachinko parlor and I bet you can find prizes that predate WW2 if you looked closely). You can however redeem your balls for a paper slip, you then exit the shop and walk around to the dark alley where some random definitely not a yakuza guy will 'trade' you this paper slip for cash for some inexplicable reason. Its charity I guess

[Squirrel With Acorn]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Subscription services would be the one to pay that fee though, so they wouldn't be exempt from the new policy at all.

Unity has re-re-re-possibly-reclarified that subscription sevices, streaming services and web based are not counted to the install count. Note this is of 9/14 and god knows what Unity will say tomorrow.

I don't think that is right

https://unity.com/runtime-fee

Third parties who publish or distribute the Unity Runtime on behalf of creators are responsible for paying the Unity Runtime Fee. Creators and these third parties remain obligated to pay the Unity Runtime Fee until the payment is verified.

https://unity.com/pricing-updates

No, in this case the developer is not distributing it so we’re not going to invoice the developer on subscription-based games (e.g. Apple Arcade, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, Netflix Games, etc.)

So third parties will be responsible to pay the fee, not the developer. Unity will be charging the subscription services, and Valve, since those are the companies that are distributing the runetime. Developer/publisher will be responsible to pay the fee if they are distributing it themselves through their own stores/website.

[Squirrel With Acorn]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Lystent:

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Now that I think of it, I don't even think Valve allows games onto the store had has in game ads since that would be revenue they wouldn't be able to capture from that game.

I've seen games with their own MTX stores. I don't think revenue from those go to steam due how they might bypass it...

If it is in game microtransaction store, then payments have to go through Steam. In app ads would be making money through the game that is being distributed through Steam. Valve doesn't care about revenue captured from off the game, like buying MTX from a website store, as long as the game isn't directing people to that website store.

[Dr.Shadowds 🐉]

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Unity has re-re-re-possibly-reclarified that subscription sevices, streaming services and web based are not counted to the install count. Note this is of 9/14 and god knows what Unity will say tomorrow.

I don't think that is right

https://unity.com/runtime-fee

Third parties who publish or distribute the Unity Runtime on behalf of creators are responsible for paying the Unity Runtime Fee. Creators and these third parties remain obligated to pay the Unity Runtime Fee until the payment is verified.

https://unity.com/pricing-updates

No, in this case the developer is not distributing it so we’re not going to invoice the developer on subscription-based games (e.g. Apple Arcade, Xbox Game Pass, PlayStation Plus, Netflix Games, etc.)

So third parties will be responsible to pay the fee, not the developer. Unity will be charging the subscription services, and Valve, since those are the companies that are distributing the runetime. Developer/publisher will be responsible to pay the fee if they are distributing it themselves through their own stores/website.

Yeah I can only imagine none of the platforms gonna be chill with this really, but this still comes back on game devs if they wanted to host game themselves, and how this gonna work on Itch, and Gog they're smaller platforms, and I don't think Itch super rich lol.

Either way it's still scummy no matter how we look at it what Unity doing.

Początkowo opublikowane przez BlueCanine:

Początkowo opublikowane przez Lystent:

I've seen games with their own MTX stores. I don't think revenue from those go to steam due how they might bypass it...

If it is in game microtransaction store, then payments have to go through Steam. In app ads would be making money through the game that is being distributed through Steam. Valve doesn't care about revenue captured from off the game, like buying MTX from a website store, as long as the game isn't directing people to that website store.

AFAIK you are allowed to setup MTX outside of Steam, and offer MTX Steam wallet API support at same time. Example Warframe, Overwarch 2, and so on.

[Tito Shivan]

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

Note that MS will absolutely positively 'go to town' on people for minor amounts of money. They will bankrupt Unity in lawyer fees before they send a single penny over to them for bogus fees they are not responsible for.

I'm quite confident MS is going to release the legal hounds the very moment a check from Unity crosses their door. Just like I am Unity's CEO will then try to frame it as 'The evil microsoft is holding our profits hostage!'.

Początkowo opublikowane przez Satoru:

It literally makes no sense and it shows Unity didn't even think this thing through in any way

It's amazing how crap that would be stopped by a ten year old common sense slips through every level of corporate decision-taking without even raising an eyebrow.