Unity promises changes to controversial runtime fee policy soon, but isn't scrapping it yet

(Image credit: Unity)

Unity has responded to outcry from developers around the world at the company's proposed new fee for installations.

Yesterday on Sunday, September 18, Unity issued the tweet below, apologizing for the "confusion and angst" that the proposed new fee has caused among developers. "We are listening," the company added, as well as revealing that it was talking to both its own employees, its customers, and its development partners about steps to take going forward.

We have heard you. We apologize for the confusion and angst the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday caused. We are listening, talking to our team members, community, customers, and partners, and will be making changes to the policy. We will share an update in a couple of…September 17, 2023

"We will share an update in a couple of days," the tweet from Unity concludes, along with "thank you for your honest and critical feedback." The statement from Unity doesn't, however, state what action the company will be taking going forward after consulting the various parties, and also stops short of outlining how the much-maligned fee will be changing going forward, if it'll be changing at all.

You probably won't be surprised to learn developers are still petitioning Unity to outright cancel the planned fee. "We don’t need changes in the policy, we need that to be rolled back," writes indie developer OgrePixel in response. "Respect the TOS of the older versions. The trust in your company is broken, 'changes to the policy' will not make a difference."

"No confusion on anyone’s part. Turn it back," writes Chandana Ekanayake, director of the upcoming Thirsty Suitors, in response. "Nothing short of a full reversal on this policy is going to help. Even then you have forever tarnished the trust and respect you spent years developing," chimes in streamer DansGaming.

Game developers, both big and small, revolted last week after Unity's announcement. Unity planned to charge developers for every time their game was installed, a charge that some developers said would outright bankrupt them. Unity later clarified the charge, revealing that developers would only be charged once per installation of their game per customer, but this didn't stop developers from criticizing Unity's policy.

Developers and studios still have a lot of questions for Unity, like how it's going to charge Microsoft and Sony installation fees for Unity games that are installed through the Xbox Game Pass and PlayStation Plus subscription services. Unity claimed last week that it would be able to charge both parties for installations via the services, to which developers were incredibly skeptical, to say the least.

Keep an eye on all the best upcoming indie games to see how our favorite small-time bangers are faring.

Hirun Cryer is a freelance reporter and writer with Gamesradar+ based out of U.K. After earning a degree in American History specializing in journalism, cinema, literature, and history, he stepped into the games writing world, with a focus on shooters, indie games, and RPGs, and has since been the recipient of the MCV 30 Under 30 award for 2021. In his spare time he freelances with other outlets around the industry, practices Japanese, and enjoys contemporary manga and anime.