In response to significant backlash from the gaming development community and a notable decline in its share price, Unity, a leading video-game software maker, has retracted key components of its recently announced “runtime fee” pricing policy. The policy had intended to charge developers each time their game was installed after reaching specific revenue milestones.
Marc Whitten, an executive at Unity, stated on Friday, “Our Unity Personal plan will remain free, and there will be no Runtime Fee for games built on Unity Personal.” Furthermore, the company clarified that games generating less than $1 million in trailing 12-month revenue would be exempt from this fee.
This decision follows a strong reaction from a significant portion of Unity’s user base, particularly small and independent developers, who had expressed their discontent by threatening to boycott the platform. Concerns were raised about a potential mass migration to rival Epic Games, known for its Unreal gaming engine.
Since the announcement of the new pricing policy on September 12, Unity’s shares have experienced a substantial 19 percent decline in value as investors responded to the discontent within the developer community.
Unity’s quick reversal underscores the company’s commitment to addressing the concerns of its users and maintaining a mutually beneficial relationship with the gaming development community.
