Unity adding a fee for each time a game is installed

Unity is adding a new charge for every time a game using the Unity Engine is installed, the company announced today.

Starting January 1, a Unity Runtime Fee will be charged to any game that has passed a revenue threshold in the past year and a lifetime install count. The amount of the fee and the thresholds in question vary depending on the type of Unity subscription the developer has.

For Unity Personal and Unity Plus users, the thresholds are $200,000 in revenue a year and 200,000 lifetime installs.

For Unity Pro and Unity Enterprise accounts, the thresholds are $1 million in revenue a year and 1 million lifetime installs.

The fees also vary, with Unity Personal developers having to pay the most for every install above the threshold ($0.20), while Unity Enterprise accounts pay the least ($0.01 for every install above 2 million).

The fees are reduced for developers in emerging markets, with Unity Personal accounts paying $0.02 per install above the threshold and Enterprise accounts paying $0.005 per install.

Existing games built on Unity will also be hit with Runtime Fees if they meet the thresholds starting January 1.

The fees do not apply to non-gaming applications.

“We chose this because each time a game is downloaded, the Unity Runtime is also installed,” the company explained in adding the fee. “Also we believe that an initial install-based fee allows creators to keep the ongoing financial gains from player engagement, unlike a revenue share.”

Unity said that its Runtime code has billions of monthly downloads.

Additionally, Unity said it is retiring its Unity Plus subscription tier. Existing Plus subscribers will be given an offer to upgrade to Unity Pro for a year at the Plus price.