Following the initial announcement of the pricing changes, numerous developers voiced their opposition to Unity’s new pricing structure. Even popular messaging service Discord criticized the company’s decision, and Unity offices faced temporary closures due to death threats. Developers went as far as boycotting Unity Ads in protest of the pricing policies. It appears that these protests had an impact.
Less than a month after the initial announcement, Unity modified its fee structure in response to the backlash. Under the revised policy, there would be no fees for games using previous engine builds. Furthermore, Unity Pro and Enterprise users would only incur fees if their games generated over $1 million in revenue within twelve months, with developers self-reporting this information. Currently, it remains unclear whether Riccitiello’s departure was connected to these changes or if it was merely a coincidental timing. The future will reveal whether developers continue to use the engine after this controversy and whether Unity sticks to its adjusted policy once a new CEO is appointed.
