Unity is changing the original plans and will only charge for the first installation.

Last night we wrote about a strange decision by the company that created the Unity game engine. From January 1, 2024, it is planned to introduce a fee to the developer for each installation of the game, including repeated installations, at least that is how the company initially presented it. After huge criticism from the creators of Unity had to partially retreat, Steven Totilo brought new statements to Axios magazine.

What’s new is that you’ll only be paid for the first installation, not for repeat installations. However, installations on other devices (such as Steam Deck) will still count. You will not be charged for installing demo versions unless it is a demo version that downloads the full game. Early access fees will apply. It has not yet been clarified what the situation is with pirated versions. However, the rule still applies that fees will be applied to all games ever released if they exceed established sales and download thresholds. It’s because of this that one large group of developers is reportedly planning to apply for Unity. lawsuit.

In a somewhat unprecedented move, Unity responded to criticism from indie studio Aggro Crab, which, like many others, plans to release its games on Game Pass, where millions of people can download them for free. Fees for such installations do not have to be paid by developers, but they do not disappear completely, since according to Unity they must be paid by the distributor, which in the case of Game Pass would be Microsoft. But the company probably won’t like it, and it’s not entirely impossible that Microsoft will ban games built on the Unity engine from Game Pass.