Popular cross-platform game engine Unity has announced that starting from January 1, 2024, a new Unity Runtime Fee will be introduced, which will be determined by the number of game installations. This fee will be assessed each time an end user downloads a qualifying game.
Games will be eligible for Unity Runtime Fee after fulfilling two specific criteria
This decision was made because, with each game download, the Unity Runtime is concurrently installed. Unity also believes that an initial fee based on installations empowers creators to retain the continuous financial benefits derived from player engagement, as opposed to a revenue-sharing model.
Speaking of eligibility, games become eligible for the Unity Runtime Fee after meeting two specific criteria: firstly, the game must have exceeded a minimum revenue threshold over the past 12 months, and secondly, the game must have surpassed a minimum lifetime install count. The fees do not apply to non-gaming apps. The threshold is given below.
- Unity Personal and Unity Plus: Those that have made $200,000 USD or more in the last 12 months AND have at least 200,000 lifetime game installs.
- Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise: Those that have made $1,000,000 USD or more in the last 12 months AND have at least 1,000,000 lifetime game installs.
Unity Personal will be accessible to individuals, irrespective of their revenue levels, offering greater flexibility in license management for creators. Upon a game meeting the revenue and install criteria, the studio would then be responsible for a flat fee for each installation.
With this announcement, Unity Plus is being discontinued for new subscribers, starting from September 12, 2023, as part of an effort to streamline the available subscription plans. We shall see how this unfolds, as many developers won’t be a fan of the pricing for sure.
What are your thoughts on Unity introducing a Runtime Fee that’s based on game installs? Let us know in the comments below!
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