Highlights
- Developers of Cult of the Lamb have announced their decision to withdraw the game from sale on January 1 in response to Unity's new policy that requires developers to pay a fee for each download of a game created with Unity's game engine.
- The announcement has sparked outrage among developers and gaming enthusiasts, with social media flooded with expressions of discontent and concerns about the additional costs imposed by Unity's policy.
- The fate of Cult of the Lamb remains uncertain as the gaming community eagerly awaits further developments, highlighting the controversy and complexities faced by developers and the engines powering their creations.
In a surprising turn of events, the renowned action-roguelike game, Cult of the Lamb, faces the threat of being deleted by its own developers. The announcement of the imminent removal, scheduled for January 1, was made from the game's Twitter account and has taken fans of Cult of the Lamb and gaming enthusiasts in general by surprise.
On September 12th, game engine maker Unity stunned the video game industry by introducing a new policy that stipulates certain developers would have to pay a nominal fee for each download of a game created with Unity's game engine. This new fee, called the “Unity Runtime Fee,” has sparked a deluge of discussions. Outrage spread across social media as developers expressed their discontent.
In reaction to their displeasure with Unity's announcement, the Cult of the Lamb developers at Massive Monster have taken a more drastic step than merely voicing their concerns on social media. They have announced through the Twitter account of the renowned rogue-like, their intentions to withdraw Cult of the Lamb from sale on January 1, encouraging the community to acquire the game while there is still time.
Later, from the Massive Monster account, came a statement urging Unity to reconsider its stance, bluntly telling them to "quit being stinky." Then they went on to explain that this new policy would affect games already planned to be developed with Unity, necessitating a transition for the entire team to another graphics engine that would consume a significant amount of valuable time. They denounced that these changes pose enormous challenges to the independent video game industry and new developers.
It's no surprise that independent developers are concerned about having to shoulder the additional costs associated with this new Unity policy. It wouldn't be surprising if another company behind a renowned indie game were to make a similar threat to what has been seen from Massive Monster.
At the same time, Unity is now facing growing pressure to reconsider or even discard the policy. As the clock ticks towards January 1, the fate of Cult of the Lamb remains uncertain. In the end, Cult of the Lamb's potential deletion serves as a stark reminder of the controversy and the complexities faced by both developers and the engines that power their creations. As the gaming community eagerly awaits further developments, this showdown between developers and Unity may well shape the future landscape of the industry.
Cult of the Lamb is available for Nintendo Switch, PC, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S.
