Azur Games, Voodoo and others ditch Unity monetization tools, urging fellow devs to protest per-install fees

In the wake of recent changes to Unity’s pricing policy, several game developers have decided to completely turn off Unity Ads and ironSource monetization across all of their titles. Companies like Azur Games and Voodoo are calling for per-install fees to be canceled, urging their colleagues to join the protest.

What happened?

On September 15, Azur Games published a collective letter on behalf of game developers and publishers unhappy with Unity’s decision to introduce the so-called Runtime Fee. For more details, read our article about pricing changes and events around them.

The companies that signed the letter disagree with Unity’s claim that the new fees will only impact 10% of customers, calling this statement misleading and patently false.

“We strongly oppose this move, which disregards the unique challenges and complexities of our industry,” the text reads. “While we’ve always viewed our work as a collaborative effort, this decision blindsided us.”

Here are the key takeaways from the letter:

• Unity didn’t consult with the games industry or even attempt to initiate a dialogue, putting hundreds of studios at risk;
• Runtime Fee will not only affect developers and other industry professionals, but could also lead to some companies shutting down;
• Per-install fees come at a time when game companies are facing significant headwinds, including tightening profit margins and escalating costs in both development and marketing;
• “Unity, we’ve stood by and celebrated your every innovation. Why, then, were we left out of the conversation on a decision so monumental?”

In addition to Azur Games, the list of companies that have already signed the letter includes Voodoo, Homa, Century Games, SayGames, CrazyLabs, Original Games, Ducky, Burny Games, Inspired Square, Geisha Tokyo, tatsumaki games, New Story, Playgendary, Supercent, and KAYAC.

What do companies demand as they abandon Unity’s monetization tools?

“The Runtime Fee is an unacceptable shift in our partnership with Unity that needs to be immediately canceled,” the letter reads.

To oppose the new pricing policy, the game companies mentioned above decided to stop using Unity Ads and ironSource services in all of their games “until these changes are reconsidered” and a “fair and equitable resolution is found.”

“The rules have changed, and the stakes are simply too high,” they noted. That’s why they urge other studios affected by the Runtime Fee to follow their example and completely abandon Unity’s monetization tools.

Developers and publishers can sign the open letter via this link.