Unity game devs turning off ads in protest of controversial fees

Game developers using Unity are turning off advertisements in protest of the company’s controversial fee update.

On Sept. 12, Unity announced a flat fee would be charged per install for developers from Jan. 1, 2024, a decision that has attracted a wealth of backlash across the industry.

Since news of the proposed change broke, Unity has tried to clarify its fee structure but received even more criticism as it was revealed that developers would be charged again if somebody elected to redownload the game.

Several game development companies have hit out against Unity, including the devs of Rust, and a collective group of game developers have now announced they are turning off “all IronSource and Unity Ads monetization” until changes are reconsidered.

A collective letter from game development companies urged others to follow suit, stating “the rules have changed” and the “stakes are simply too high,” comparing the situation to a car maker deciding to charge a consumer for every mile they drove after purchasing the vehicle a year ago.

In total, 19 game development companies were signed at the end of the statement, including Supercent, TapNation, CrazyLabs, and Original Games.

While the flat fee proposal is scandalous in its own right, the fact that there would be subsequent charges for re-downloads and raised fears that people could deliberately incur charges to the development companies aggressively.

Streamer Mizkif, who is currently developing the Unrooted game using Unity’s engine, is among those to have expressed their fear of such hostile tactics taking place. There are also worries about subscription services like Xbox Game Pass and who would be liable for the fees in such a situation.

A mass exodus away from Unity’s product could be on the cards if their proposals are not reversed and the company has already seemingly been targeted, having shut down offices and canceled a town hall meeting following death threats.