Clarification: Unity's "Industry" license is only for non-gaming and non-entertainment applications (e.g. automotive, architecture, etc.). So this doesn't impact developers developing games with Unity.
Lammy · 22m ago
Until it's an established payment model for one product category, after which it fill feel more natural to extend it to others.
The worst part of it isn't even that devs would get their wallets shaken out but that it's really just surveillance in disguise. Those apps would “““have to””” spy on me as an end-user in order for them to know what to charge.
noname120 · 21m ago
*for now
KerrAvon · 21m ago
It does, though, because it means you don't have the freedom to pivot to other industries, or to fork for use in industry, which is a thing that can happen. It's definitely a reason to consider avoiding Unity.
0cf8612b2e1e · 41m ago
The last CEO lost his job over the backlash from the runtime fee. Guess you can try to boil the frog again at a lower temperature.
pnw · 9m ago
Unity has had different licenses for non-gaming for at least a decade. E.g. gambling has always required a special license. See this Reddit thread from 2015.
Most of the outrage was over it applying retroactively and that it was by download, which is quite frankly just a horrible idea and probably why it's not in this rendition.
A percentage of revenue is already what their biggest competitor (Unreal) does, and if they had announced that new versions had it they would have had backlash but not nearly to the extent that occurred.
Unity hasn't been profitable in 5 years, the revenue percentage doesn't even sound unfair, though the download fee was obviously exploitative.
ksec · 33m ago
So somehow Unity gave away or sold part of its engine and now China has a different fork of Unity that has some of the Unreal features built in along with lots of work on Cel-Shading.
noname120 · 20m ago
Can you give a link to learn more about it?
Nezteb · 8m ago
[delayed]
Lev1a · 39m ago
As soon as companies don't give public concrete numbers/tables/etc. and instead tell me to "contact sales for pricing", I know they're not worth the headache of dealing with them trying to squeeze as much money as possible from me and every other individual customer.
I.e. Fuck Off!
qualeed · 33m ago
From the top of the linked page:
>"$450.00/mo per seat"
>"$4,950.00/yr per seat"
And under the question "What happens if I am distributing the runtime for commercial purposes?":
>"Industry Customers requires explicit authorization from Unity and is subject to a fee ("Distribution License') which is generally equivalent to 4.0% of the revenue generated by the software product that incorporates the Unity runtime (discounts may apply)"
No comments yet
butshouldyou · 27m ago
Literally next week Bitnami will pull all of their Docker images from public use. They were relied on by many people but since being bought by Broadcom, they just exist to be milked for cash.
They don't list a price for their new enterprise subscription, instead making you contact their 3rd party, outsourced sales team.
The quote I heard from a colleague was USD5'000 pcm. No wonder they don't want to publish that!
Broadcom has officially confirmed major changes to Bitnami's free container catalog, effective August 28, 2025, transitioning millions of developers from free access to paid subscriptions ranging from $50,000-$72,000 annually.
pbarry25 · 45m ago
"What happens if I am distributing the runtime for commercial purposes?
According to our terms of service, the distribution of the Unity runtime for commercial purposes by Industry Customers requires explicit authorization from Unity and is subject to a fee ("Distribution License') which is generally equivalent to 4.0% of the revenue generated by the software product that incorporates the Unity runtime (discounts may apply). Please contact sales to discuss further."
For folks who didn't make the move to Godot the LAST time Unity pulled this, there's Godot... (not saying that move is easy for everyone, but am just sayin'...)
poly2it · 33m ago
This shows once again that Unity is an unreliable option for new projects. The worst part is not the 4% fee, but the bluntness with which Unity has administered these changes. They show that any terms can change at any moment.
pluc · 28m ago
If the US can do it, why can't everyone else
webdevver · 23m ago
the entire games industry is reminiscent of cryptocurrency. hundreds of thousands of completely worthless "titles". sole purpose in life is to grab unwitting customers money and run.
in this case, unity grabbing a percentage seems like a trading exchange taking a cut. is the exchange really the 'bad guy' in this interaction?
its the 2020s: We're All Trying To Make Money.
bogwog · 12m ago
Games are art. Some people do it for money, some do it to express themselves, some do it for fun. What's worthless to you is very valuable to someone else.
webdevver · 10m ago
this is 1:1 what i hear people say about solana memecoins
The worst part of it isn't even that devs would get their wallets shaken out but that it's really just surveillance in disguise. Those apps would “““have to””” spy on me as an end-user in order for them to know what to charge.
https://www.reddit.com/r/Unity3D/comments/35xt2r/unity3d_gam...
A percentage of revenue is already what their biggest competitor (Unreal) does, and if they had announced that new versions had it they would have had backlash but not nearly to the extent that occurred.
Unity hasn't been profitable in 5 years, the revenue percentage doesn't even sound unfair, though the download fee was obviously exploitative.
I.e. Fuck Off!
>"$450.00/mo per seat"
>"$4,950.00/yr per seat"
And under the question "What happens if I am distributing the runtime for commercial purposes?":
>"Industry Customers requires explicit authorization from Unity and is subject to a fee ("Distribution License') which is generally equivalent to 4.0% of the revenue generated by the software product that incorporates the Unity runtime (discounts may apply)"
No comments yet
They don't list a price for their new enterprise subscription, instead making you contact their 3rd party, outsourced sales team.
The quote I heard from a colleague was USD5'000 pcm. No wonder they don't want to publish that!
Broadcom has officially confirmed major changes to Bitnami's free container catalog, effective August 28, 2025, transitioning millions of developers from free access to paid subscriptions ranging from $50,000-$72,000 annually.
According to our terms of service, the distribution of the Unity runtime for commercial purposes by Industry Customers requires explicit authorization from Unity and is subject to a fee ("Distribution License') which is generally equivalent to 4.0% of the revenue generated by the software product that incorporates the Unity runtime (discounts may apply). Please contact sales to discuss further."
For folks who didn't make the move to Godot the LAST time Unity pulled this, there's Godot... (not saying that move is easy for everyone, but am just sayin'...)
in this case, unity grabbing a percentage seems like a trading exchange taking a cut. is the exchange really the 'bad guy' in this interaction?
its the 2020s: We're All Trying To Make Money.