Developers boycott Unity's new pricing model

In a collective move of protest, 19 game development companies, primarily based in Europe and specializing in mobile games, have taken action against Unity's recently announced pricing model changes.

Unity had revealed plans to charge developers for each installation of a Unity game after specific download and revenue thresholds are met. This decision has sparked outrage among developers, who view it as a breach of transparency.

The open letter from these companies, including Voodoo.io, Azur Games, and SayGames, states their immediate action to disable Unity ad monetization, including Unity Ads, in their projects until Unity revises its pricing model. Unity's new pricing structure has raised concerns not only because of the potential financial impact, but also because it contradicts the transparency that Unity has previously promised regarding terms of service.

In the past, Unity had committed to notifying users of changes in terms of service and allowing developers to use older terms when they preferred. However, Unity removed this option in a new terms of service agreement introduced in April 2023, which hinted at the controversial runtime fees that developers are now protesting.

While Unity's actions may be financially damaging to these companies, their protest is not just for monetary reasons. Developers worry that Unity's new rules will force them to switch to alternative game engines or focus too much on monetization at the expense of creating an engaging gameplay experience.