Unity, A Major Game Engine Behind Countless Games, Abandons Its Controversial Runtime Fee

Unity is scrapping its Runtime Fee and returning to its previous seat-based subscription model, with price increases for Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise users. This decision, announced by Unity CEO Matthew Bromberg in a blog post, comes after extensive backlash from developers.

The Runtime Fee, introduced last year, sought to charge developers based on the number of installations once specific thresholds were met. The policy faced widespread criticism, leading to protests and threats of abandonment from the developer community. The fallout contributed to the resignations of former CEO John Riccitiello in 2023 and Unity Create head Marc Whitten in May 2024.

Under new leadership, Bromberg aims to restore trust with Unity’s user base. In his blog post, he writes, “I’ve been able to connect with many of you over the last three months, and I’ve heard time and time again that you want a strong Unity, and understand that price increases are a necessary part of what enables us to invest in moving gaming forward. But those increases needn’t come in a novel and controversial new form.”

Unity Personal will remain free, with the revenue and funding ceiling increased from $100,000 to $200,000, giving developers more flexibility before being subjected to Unity’s fees. The Made with Unity splash screen will be optional for games developed with Unity 6, set to launch later this year.

Starting January 1, 2025, Unity Pro will see an 8% price increase, raising the annual subscription fee to $2,200 per seat. Unity Enterprise will experience a 25% increase, with new minimum subscription requirements for customers generating over $25 million in annual revenue. These changes will apply to all new and existing subscriptions from that date.

Bromberg emphasized that the company is shifting to a more predictable pricing structure. “Canceling the Runtime Fee for games and instituting these pricing changes will allow us to continue investing to improve game development for everyone while also being better partners,” Bromberg stated in his blog post.