Highlights
- A developer of Among Us strongly criticizes Unity over new runtime fees, joining widespread discontent among independent game developers.
- Forest Willard, from Innersloth, expresses that the new Unity policy will force his hand and predicts major game removals from distributors like Steam and Epic.
- The controversy revolves around the impact on independent studios' earnings and the potential ripple effect on the industry as a whole, urging Unity to reconsider its new fee.
In another negative reaction to the new and unexpected Unity Runtime Fees, a developer of the online multiplayer social deduction game, Among Us, has strongly criticized Unity. The developer joined the widespread discontent through their personal Twitter account, taking aim at the company behind the renowned graphics engine that has been a part of the creation of many games, including Among Us.
In a statement that took the gaming world by surprise, on September 12, the company behind the graphics engine giant, Unity, announced that developers would now have to pay a fee every time a game made with their engine is downloaded. This announcement sparked a major controversy on social media, causing such a disconnect that it led to well-known games like Cult of the Lamb being at risk of removal from the market in the near future.
Developer Forest Willard, responsible for the business side of the game development studio Innersloth, known for their massively popular game, Among Us, also shared his thoughts on Twitter regarding these measures. He expressed, among other things, that such a move leaves him with no choice but to take action. Forrest's comment went viral within hours garnering thousands of likes, once again showing the community's support for the noticeable displeasure among independent game developers.
In his post, Forest also pointed out major digital game distributors like Steam and Epic, as well as big companies like Sony, Nintendo, and Microsoft, mentioning that they won't be pleased when many of the games in their catalog decide to be removed by their creators due to this "undue" new Unity policy, as Forrest puts it, given that this will also impact the earnings of these major companies. It also implies that many other renowned titles could follow the same path as Cult of the Lamb.
The anger primarily stems from the fact that this measure primarily affects independent studios, who rely on Unity's graphics engine and will be directly impacted in terms of their earnings. While no studio would be happy about a reduction in their profits, it's well-known that independent game development is a niche that often doesn't generate the same revenues as the AAA industry.
Amid this growing controversy, the independent developer community, represented by voices like Forest Willard, is taking a strong stance against Unity's new policies, pushing them to reconsider the future of this new fee and perhaps the possibility of eliminating it. As the gaming industry closely watches how this battle unfolds, it's clear that this conflict has implications that extend beyond the limits that developers are willing to tolerate. The resolution or non-resolution of this dispute could define the path forward for the future of independent developers and their relationship with leading graphics engines in the industry.
Among Us is available for Android, iOS, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
