Unity scraps its ‘Runtime Fee’ following developer backlash

6 days ago 6

Scrap paper illustrating Unity's decision to ditch its Runtime Fee.

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Unity has announced the cancellation of its contentious ‘Runtime Fee’ for game developers. The decision comes after months of intense criticism from the gaming community.

Matt Bromberg, President and CEO of Unity, stated: “After deep consultation with our community, customers, and partners, we’ve made the decision to cancel the Runtime Fee for our games customers, effective immediately.”

The Runtime Fee, which would have charged developers based on game installations, sparked widespread outrage when announced in September. Many developers viewed it as a betrayal of Unity’s longstanding mission to democratise game development.

Acknowledging the damage to developer relations, Bromberg conceded: “We can’t pursue that mission in conflict with our customers; at its heart, it must be a partnership built on trust.”

Unity will now revert to its existing seat-based subscription model for all gaming customers, including those adopting Unity 6 later this year. The company has outlined several changes to its pricing structure, set to take effect from 1 January 2025:

Unity Personal will remain free, with the revenue and funding ceiling doubled from $100,000 to $200,000. The Made with Unity splash screen will become optional for Unity Personal games made with Unity 6.

Unity Pro will see an 8% price increase to $2,200 annually per seat. It will be required for customers with more than $200,000 of total annual revenue and funding.

Unity Enterprise will undergo a 25% price increase and will be mandatory for customers with over $25 million of total annual revenue and funding. A minimum subscription requirement may also apply.

“From this point forward, it’s our intention to revert to a more traditional cycle of considering any potential price increases only on an annual basis,” explains Bromberg.

Bromberg took the helm at Unity from John Riccitiello, who departed the company amid numerous controversies that plagued the company—including the backlash to the Runtime Fee. The reversal under new leadership will be cautiously welcomed by the developer community and may help to repair damaged relations.

“Cancelling the Runtime Fee for games and instituting these pricing changes will allow us to continue investing to improve game development for everyone while also being better partners,” says Bromberg.

Unity’s decision highlights the delicate balance between business growth and maintaining goodwill within the developer community.

As Unity navigates this challenging period, the industry will be watching closely to see if these changes are enough to mend fences with the developer community and maintain Unity’s position as a leading game development platform.

(Photo by Steve Johnson on Unsplash)

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Tags: coding, development, engine, game development, gaming, programming, runtime fee, unity