Unity Claims PlayStation, Xbox & Nintendo Will Pay Its New Runtime Fee On Behalf Of Devs

Unity Technologies has stated that PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo will pay the company’s new runtime fee on behalf of game developers.

A new FAQ has been shared by Unity Technologies, which answers questions regarding the company’s recent change in pricing plan for its game development engine.

According to the FAQ, the Unity runtime fee will be charged to the entity that distributes the runtime, implying that digital store owners, such as PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo, will be liable to pay the company’s new runtime fee on behalf of game developers who sell titles developed using the game engine. It’s unclear if Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are aware of this particular change in policy, and whether they’d be willing to comply with Unity Technologies.

Indie game publisher Top Hat Studios pointed out that Unity has used specific language, now repeated by executives, that the company will bill “the entity that distributes the runtime”. It sought clarification on whether Unity is planning to bill Nintendo for every install on Switch, and Sony for every install on PlayStation. As of writing, the game engine maker has yet to offer clarification on the matter.

Game developers from across the globe have raised concern regarding the aforementioned pricing changes made by Unity Technologies. The game engine maker had announced that it will soon be taking a fee from developers for every copy of a Unity game installed over a certain threshold, regardless of how that copy was obtained.

Indie game studio Aggro Crab has stated that its game, Another Crab’s Treasure, will be coming to Xbox Game Pass in 2024, which means that it will be free to install for the 25 million Game Pass subscribers. If a fraction of those users download the game, Unity could take a fee that puts an enormous dent in the developer’s income and threatens the sustainability of its business. Similarly, Colorgrave Games has expressed shock over Unity’s new pricing plan, stating that it dramatically and negatively impacts the community of smaller developers that the engine maker helped support, including itself.

Innersloth, the studio behind the popular social deduction game, Among Us, stated that the pricing change made by Unity would not only bring harm to its developers, but also fellow game studios of all budgets and sizes. Meanwhile, indie game developer Studio Kumiho also raised concern in its statement, stating that the pricing change from Unity could put many careers in an uncertain position.