The CEO of Unity discusses the decision to eliminate the contentious runtime fee

Unity's CEO, Matthew Bromberg, has spoken out about the issues surrounding the runtime fee and the company's year-long process to reconsider its stance.

During October's GamesBeat Next 2024 event, Bromberg mentioned that addressing the runtime fee was his top priority when he stepped into the CEO role in May.

"My initial action was to travel globally and engage with partners to understand their perspectives on our approach," Bromberg stated. "The feedback on the runtime fee was crucial; what solutions did they propose?"

He added, "Across various regions, people valued Unity as an ally but were unhappy with how we engaged them, particularly feeling overlooked in our decision-making and dissatisfied with the proposed charges."

This feedback led Unity to begin substantial consultations with stakeholders and developers.

"Though it might have seemed lengthy, reverting to a conventional subscription model was deliberate. The process of how we made the change was as critical as the change itself," he explained.

Bromberg emphasized that understanding all facets beforehand, ensuring transparency, and avoiding unexpected developments were pivotal. This approach would shape future corporate decisions, not just the matter of the runtime fee.

The initiative to apply a fee for every game installation reached certain financial and install limits was launched last September.

After a swift negative reaction, the fee was waived for personal users later that month. Ultimately, the fee was completely abolished by September 2024.