Unity has canceled the Runtime Fee collection for game developers
This was announced by the CEO and President of the engine-developing company, Matthew Bromberg. The change has already come into effect.
Thus, Unity Technologies reverts to its previous monetization model — subscription-based only. And that’s not where the good news ends.
Previously, the free Unity Personal plan was only available to developers whose annual revenue did not exceed $100,000. Now the limit has been raised to $200,000.
In addition, while using Unity 6, developers with a free subscription will now be able to remove the previously mandatory Made with Unity label.
However, there are some downsides:
- The changes did not affect non-gaming companies (which Unity Technologies categorizes as Industry);
- The cost of Unity's paid plans will increase on January 1, 2025 — Unity Pro by 8% (developers must switch to it if their annual revenue exceeds $200,000), and Unity Enterprise by 25% (it is mandatory for those earning more than $25 million per year).
Matthew explained the cancellation of the Runtime Fee by stating that Unity Technologies cannot democratize game development while being in conflict with its own clients. According to him, game developers understand the increase in service costs, as long as they do not occur in "controversial and unusual forms."
