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Diffstat (limited to 'blog/posts/unity_runtime_fee_and_proprietary_software')
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1 files changed, 6 insertions, 4 deletions
diff --git a/blog/posts/unity_runtime_fee_and_proprietary_software/index.md b/blog/posts/unity_runtime_fee_and_proprietary_software/index.md index 633b1a5..84b3b1a 100644 --- a/blog/posts/unity_runtime_fee_and_proprietary_software/index.md +++ b/blog/posts/unity_runtime_fee_and_proprietary_software/index.md @@ -14,9 +14,11 @@ For example, Among Us has over 500 million downloads on the Google Play Store al That's an extreme example, but I think it gets the point across. If you don't believe me, take it from developers on Twitter (via [u/Sparky2199](https://archive.ph/IQPjW)): -[](devprotest.png) +<figure class="media"> + <img src="devprotest.png" alt="Compilation of various twitter posts from indie game studios using Unity complaining about the change."> +</figure> -## The obligatory free software soapbox moment +# The obligatory free software soapbox moment As angry as I am about this, I do feel kind of vindicated, because here's the thing: something like this was always going to happen. Not because Unity in particular is a *bad* company (although it is), but because it's a *for-profit* company, and especially because it's one with shareholders to please. @@ -30,7 +32,7 @@ This problem isn't unique to Unity, or to game engines. We've been watching this It's my opinion that all proprietary software will die this way in the end. The structure is fundamentally unsustainable. You can't have infinite growth. At some point all the proprietary software and services that are commomplace nowadays with their ad-supported business models and predatory pricing schemes and suspiciously high marketing budgets will wither and die, having made themselves intolerable to even their most loyal customers, and most of the survivors will be open-source projects. Not as sleek or sexy or well-advertised, as they'll have had less incentive to appeal to new users, but fundamentally sustainable, having had *no* incentive to appeal to shareholders. -## An attempt at optimism +# An attempt at optimism In this particular case, I don't think this is gonna stick. Unity's runtime fee is absurd, and I think they know it just as well as all their moderately high-profile customers on Twitter do. Unity has already started to walk back some of the more extreme parts of the initial plan, as you can see on archived versions of the posts: [Blog post (Sep 12)](https://archive.ph/gEckm), [Blog post (Sep 14)](https://archive.ph/gBpXw), [Forum thread (Sep 12)](https://archive.ph/HYTq5), [Forum thread (Sep 14)](https://archive.ph/eByMm). Unity also has some customers that are bigger than them and notoriously litigation-happy, namely Nintendo (with Pokemon BD/SP and Go, plus a couple Mario mobile games) and Disney (also with quite a few mobile and console games). Unity's CEO also sold a bunch of stock in the company in the lead-up to this announcement, which, since the company's stock price dropped *significantly* after the announcement, might actually constitute fraud. You know, from federal crimes! Basically, this initial announcement was probably an attempt to see how much they could get away with, and Unity's probably fucked if they stick to their guns on this. @@ -38,7 +40,7 @@ On the technical side, if you're a budding game developer, Unity isn't your only Finally, if you've been eyeing a game that uses the Unity engine, you've got until the end of the year to install it without incurring that fee for the developer assuming this change goes through. So I'd check for that. By my understanding you'll have to run it at least once before then, too. -## Update as of 2023-09-23 +# Update as of 2023-09-23 Good(?) news! Unity's responded to community feedback and it's actually... better than I expected. You can read the full post [here](https://archive.ph/rLi8u), but I'll summarize the changes: |