Changes to Unity Plans and Pricing

Unity Technologies has announced significant changes to its plans and pricing, particularly impacting developers using the Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise plans. These changes include a new Unity Runtime Fee, which will apply only to games created with Unity's next Long-Term Support (LTS) version, Unity 6, set for release in 2024.

Unity Runtime Fee: Who Does It Affect?

The newly introduced Unity Runtime Fee will not impact all Unity developers. It is specifically targeted at games developed using Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise plans under the forthcoming Unity 6. For developers using Unity Personal or Unity Plus plans, there will be no Runtime Fee.

Games developed using currently supported versions of Unity will also remain unaffected. The fee will apply only to games created with or upgraded to Unity 6. The Unity Runtime Fee is forward-looking and does not have any retroactive impact on games built with earlier versions.

Fee Applicability and Thresholds

The Unity Runtime Fee will only come into effect once a game surpasses two key thresholds:

1. Gross Revenue: The game must earn over $1,000,000 USD in gross revenue within a trailing 12-month period.
2. Initial Engagements: The game must achieve 1,000,000 initial user engagements.

If a game meets both thresholds, the developer will be charged the lesser of the following two amounts:

• 2.5% of the game’s monthly gross revenue, or
• A fee based on the number of monthly initial engagements.

Developers will self-report both revenue and initial engagement data on a monthly basis to determine the applicable fee.

Key Updates to Unity Personal Plan

Unity has announced several changes for developers using the Unity Personal plan. Unity Personal remains a free plan, and the new Runtime Fee does not apply to it. In a bid to make the platform more attractive to smaller developers and hobbyists, Unity will increase the revenue cap for the Unity Personal plan from $100,000 to $200,000 USD starting with Unity 6. Additionally, the "Made with Unity" splash screen, which was previously mandatory, will now be optional.

Maintaining Flexibility with Editor Terms

Unity has also addressed concerns from developers regarding potential changes to terms for existing versions of the Unity Editor. Unity has committed to ensuring that developers can continue using the terms that were applicable when they started using a specific version of Unity, as long as they continue to use that version. This move is likely aimed at providing stability and predictability for developers who wish to stay on their current Unity version.

Forward-looking Runtime Fee

It is important to note that the new Runtime Fee policy is forward-looking. It does not apply to games developed using any currently supported Unity version. The fee will only affect those developing with Unity 6 or upgrading their projects to this version once it is released in 2024.

What This Means for Unity Developers

The introduction of the Unity Runtime Fee marks a significant shift in how Unity Technologies plans to monetize its platform, particularly for high-revenue games. For smaller developers or those on Unity Personal and Unity Plus plans, the changes bring positive news, such as increased revenue caps and the removal of the mandatory splash screen. However, for larger developers on Unity Pro and Enterprise plans, the new fee structure may require careful consideration when planning for future game releases or upgrades to Unity 6.

Unity Technologies' decision to adopt a flexible approach with self-reported data and the choice between a revenue share or engagement-based fee suggests an attempt to balance the interests of both the company and its developer community. As Unity 6's release in 2024 approaches, developers will need to weigh the potential benefits and costs of upgrading to the new version and plan their development strategies accordingly.

The upcoming months will likely bring more details from Unity on how these changes will be implemented, as well as developer reactions and feedback from the broader gaming community.