The previously announced fee will also only apply to versions of Unity from 2024 or later.
In anopen letter, Unity Create lead Marc Whitten outlined the changes.
Any game made with prior versions of Unity, including the current 2022 LTS, will not be charged.
Any developer that would be charged a runtime fee can opt instead for a 2.5% revenue share.
Developers will always be billed the lesser of the two potential fees.
Unity has also changed the language from “installs” to “initial engagements.”
Additionally, the basis for the Runtime Fee will be self-reported rather than gathered by Unity.
If developers don’t self-report, Unity will gather its own data from the services the developer has used.
As part of the open letter, Whitten apologized for the confusion and controversy.
He wrote, “I want to start with simply this: I am sorry.
Reactions from game developers have ranged from relief to continued frustration.
It’s effectively a 2.5% revenue share for $1M+p/y earners?
No retroactivity left, LTS stability, no black-box data, yeah?
I think that works for every use-case.”
Not every developer is optimistic and many have continued to express concerns.
Some developers, such as Gloomwood dev Dillion Rogers, stated that the changes have not repaired trust.
That damage is permanent."
In the wake of the debacle, many developers have announced plans to switch to competing engines.
For example, Caves of Qud developerBrian Bucklew documentedhis attempt to switch the roguelike to Godot.
Others have expressed interest in Epic’sUnreal Engine.
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