The overhauled Runtime Fee policy plan being considered by Unity Technologies will cap the fee to 4% of the game’s revenues over $1 million.

While the changes aren’t official yet, Bloomberg got hold of a meeting recording where Unity executives outlined the new plan, which reportedly caps the Runtime Fee at 4% of the game’s revenues over one million dollars. Developers will also be asked to report the installation figures themselves instead of being forced to deal with Unity’s proprietary technology. Lastly, the installation threshold won’t be retroactive, so only new installations made after the policy’s announcement will count toward reaching the Runtime Fee thresholds.

  • hypelightfly@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    Still trying to shoehorn in a “runtime fee”. That’s not going to work and with this model it’s pointless anyway. Just make it a 4% revenue for sales after $1 million. Same end results (actually potentially more in fees) without all the runtime issues. Make it apply only to a specific version and later and after a certain date and then you also don’t have the retroactive problem and the massive blowback.

    • LoafyLemon@kbin.social
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      1 year ago

      They’re trying to monetize the free-to-play mobile market, which is much more lucrative than a percentage of the sales. Cunning bastards.

      • hypelightfly@kbin.social
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        1 year ago

        It works for that market too even without install fees, you just make it a percentage of revenue generated from microtransactions. It’s still tied to the game.

        • LoafyLemon@kbin.social
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          1 year ago

          For every paying customer, there are one thousand installations. A quick maths will tell you why they are trying so much to be paid for runtime.

          • hypelightfly@kbin.social
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            1 year ago

            Quick math shows that’s irrelevant with a 4% revenue cap, as I pointed out in my original comment, and at best they will be paid the same as just doing a 4% revenue fee. More likely they will get some amount less than 4% from most devs.

            The only reason I see for them going this route instead is to claim they are still royalty free, install fees aren’t royalties. Which is BS anyway.