UNITY to charge Devs per installation

[melkathi]

Unity is changing its pricing policy in 2024, charging developers for every installation of the game - if the game has made $200.000 in the past 12 months and has been installed 200.000 times in its lifetime. (Or 1.000.000 and 1.000.000 if you pay the more expensive package). There will be discounts for people who buy into other UNITY services.
Sounds mostly like a scheme to blackmail devs and publishers into using more UNITY software for more things.

https://blog.unity.com/news/plan-pricing-and-packaging-updates

https://www.rockpapershotgun.com/game-devs-announce-plans-to-drop-unity-urge-players-to-protest-new-per-install-fees

[Mr.Kill]

So it only applies if they meet both thresholds? How many games actually meet that?

[Tragic]

Unreal is a better engine with a better deal for devs.

[Nasarog]

They really want their code to be pirated and cracked... Oh well, as Forest Gump said - Stupid is as stupid does.

[Chris Koźmik]

I do love my custom engine sooo much :D

[melkathi]

Originally posted by Mr.Kill:

So it only applies if they meet both thresholds? How many games actually meet that?

The install threshold actually is easily reached by anyone who gets a game onto Gamepass or into an EPIC free deal. I do not know how they calculate the $200.000 threshold, and I do not know how deals like Gamepass work for devs. So I guess it might even be super easy to be reached by small devs if they get a "lucky" deal to have their game given out "free" to millions of gamers.

But yes, the game has to reach both the install and the revenue threshold, so has to make $1 per install for 200.000 installations. As this is on revenue, not profit though, a game that costs $10 needs to sell 20.000 copies worldwide and be installed 200.000 times. Again, if that game is also given out for free as part of a promo, the installation numbers can climb quickly without requiring any extra sales.
It's almost as if UNITY was targeting Gamepass and EPIC and GOG giveaways.

[AK_icebear]

I read free weekends, demos, game pass etc are not intended to be counted as installs. The policy is mostly to target installs on mobile phones. For some stupid reason they couldn't get that communication right.

I'd take any interpretation of it (including the above) with a grain of salt - Unity will have to issue a lengthy clarification before 1 Jan.

[melkathi]

Yeah, the mobile thing makes sense and has been mentioned in other places as well.
As you say, they have some clarifying to do.

What sets off warning bells for me, is the discount for using more Unity services. But I am in tourism so have to work with the scum of the earth (aka booking dot com). Which makes me extra wary.

[helicon]

The Unity web page announcing this charge seems to say the max charge is 20 cents per install. That doesn't seem like it would have any impact on devs of 4x or other "real" games.

It definitely seems aimed at companies that use Unity and cheap (or stolen) assets to spam out mobile games.

[Mr.Kill]

Originally posted by helicon:

The Unity web page announcing this charge seems to say the max charge is 20 cents per install. That doesn't seem like it would have any impact on devs of 4x or other "real" games.

It definitely seems aimed at companies that use Unity and cheap (or stolen) assets to spam out mobile games.

Seems way too exploitable though. There's nothing to stop unity itself from getting people to install and uninstall a game to cut into a game's profit margins even more than they do already.

[melkathi]

https://gameworldobserver.com/2023/09/15/unity-closes-two-offices-amid-death-threats-ex-employee-says-those-of-us-who-care-now-leaving-company

Originally posted by Mr.Kill:

Seems way too exploitable though. There's nothing to stop unity itself from getting people to install and uninstall a game to cut into a game's profit margins even more than they do already.

Yeah the danger of "install-bombing" becoming a thing is discussed in a lot of gaming cycles.

[melkathi]

So I guess Unity is just Elon's new thing to destroy
https://www.reddit.com/r/unity/comments/16j23ci/i_know_people_dont_want_to_hear_this_you_shouldnt/

[Stormfrenzy88]

Just the fact that this fee is per install not per purchase makes this idea completely ludicrous and it's not going to fly. No serious developer is going to use their engine anymore after this.

Also the change applying retroactively won't hold up in courts.

[Nasarog]

Originally posted by Stormfrenzy88:

Just the fact that this fee is per install not per purchase makes this idea completely ludicrous and it's not going to fly. No serious developer is going to use their engine anymore after this.

Also the change applying retroactively won't hold up in courts.

I hope this is the case and they roll it back.