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Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off (www.theverge.com)

submitted 1 year ago by L4s@lemmy.world to c/technology@lemmy.world

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Unity has changed its pricing model, and game developers are pissed off::Unity has announced that starting on January 1st, 2024, it will implement a new pricing model that will charge developers based on how many times a game was installed.

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[–] Humanius@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

From what I understand this change will retroactively apply to games released in the past as well. I think that's a rather scummy move on Unity's part. "I've altered the deal. Pray I don't alter it further."

And it's not like game devs have been using a free product. They already pay for it through expensive licenses per developer.

If the justification on Unity's part is true, that for each install of a Unity game the runtime environment needs to be downloaded from their servers, then maybe they should look into fixing that rather than nickle and diming their customers for each individual install (customers in this case being the game developers)

[–] orizuru@lemmy.sdf.org 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

According to the article, it's not retroactively charged, but still bad if your game is about to come out and you haven't accounted for this.

[–] Humanius@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

https://www.eurogamer.net/unity-reveals-plans-to-charge-per-game-install-drawing-criticism-from-development-community

Other articles I have been reading on the topic do mention it:

Unity has also clarified the changes are "not retroactive or perpetual", noting it will only "charge once for a new install" made after 1st January 2024. However, while it won't be charging for previously made installs, fees do indeed apply to all games currently on the market, meaning should any existing player of an older game that exceeds Unity's various thresholds decide to re-install it after 1st January, a charge will still be made.

When I say that it applies retroactively, I mean that it applies to games released in the past.
It's true that they are not retroactively charging devs for past downloads. That would have been even worse.

[–] UxyIVrljPeRl@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So if i want to ruin a developer, I only need to install and deinstall all day?

[–] Humanius@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Unity walked back from charging per installation earlier today. Now they will be charging per device it is installed on.
It doesn't solve the core problem, but it at least prevents install-bombing like you are suggesting

https://www.eurogamer.net/unity-backtracks-slightly-on-plans-to-charge-developers-for-game-installs

[–] harrim4n@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

I'd be interested to know how they're going to track this? They'd need to create some sort of fingerprint for each device, and store it together will all already installed games / software in some sort of database in perpetuity.

[–] Shiggles@sh.itjust.works 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

If by “scummy” you mean “questionably legal” (obligatory IANAL), then yeah.

[–] Humanius@lemmy.world 0 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

I'm no legal expert, and I have no familiarity with Unity's licensing terms. So I didn't want to outright call what they are doing illegal.
For all I know they did technically have a clause in their licensing agreement that allows them to do this. But that wouldn't make it any less of a scum move imo.

It'll be interesting to see what the lawyers will make of this.

[–] elvith@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

I read in a other thread, that they're not doing it retro actively on paper. Its part of the new terms for new licenses.

But since their licenses are perpetual and need to be renewed constantly, it will affect everyone when they hit the next cycle. Everything released afterwards is then affected. This even includes current projects in the works and even finished ones when you want to do a bug fix. That way, they seem to be "safe" to do that legally.

[–] McWolke@lemm.ee 0 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Time to learn Godot.

[–] anteaters@feddit.de 0 points 1 year ago

It's not perfect but is the best we have. And it keeps improving nicely.