Terraria developer criticizes Unity’s ‘predatory moves’ and donates more than $200,000 to other game engines
Even though Terraria developer Re-Logic doesn’t usually rely on Unity, it has expressed strong condemnation regarding the recently announced engine. controversial installation fee policy – and it follows up its word with deeds.
In a statement today on
– Terraria🌳 (@Terraria_Logic) September 19, 2023
“The loss of what was once a leading and user-friendly game engine to the darker forces that negatively impact much of the gaming industry has left us dismayed, to say the least,” it continued. “While we don’t personally use Unity (aside from a few elements on our consoles/mobile platforms), we feel we cannot sit idly by and watch these predatory moves being made against studios everywhere.”
Re-Logic further said that they “unequivocally condemn and reject Unity’s recent proposed T&C/fee changes and the underhanded manner in which they were introduced” in a “reckless manner” that undermines trust disregarded by publishers, studios and gamers alike.
They added that they “believe that a simple public statement is not enough,” and then pledged to donate $100,000 each to game engines Godot and FNA going forward, in addition to $1,000 per month on the condition that “they remain good people and continue to do everything they can to make these engines powerful and accessible to developers everywhere.”
Unit sparked a near-industry-wide backlash when it announced the new policy called Unity Runtime Fee last week. Under the policy, which would take effect on January 1, 2024, Unity would charge $0.20 per install for any game with more than 200,000 installs. This sparked both confusion and ridicule from both developers and players Unity’s attempts to clarify the policy didn’t help much.
On the weekend, however, Unity apologized for the “confusion and fear” The announcement of the policy caused and promised that it would make “changes” to it in the coming days. While the engine has not yet announced these changes, Bloomberg reported yesterday that, among other things, it is considering capping fees at 4% of gaming revenue for customers earning more than $1 million.
Alex Stedman is a senior news editor at IGN and leads entertainment coverage. When she’s not writing or editing, she reads fantasy novels or plays Dungeons & Dragons.
