EuDs

EuDs

EuDs's Blog
twitter
github
HomeArchivesAbout

Inspired by Unity's fees

#感想#开源#感受#游戏154
AI Translation
This post is translated from Chinese into English through AI.View Original
AI-generated summary
The author reflects on the recent announcement by Unity to charge installation fees and shares their initial thoughts and change in perspective. They discuss the reasons for supporting the fees and the need for game developers to pay for Unity's services. However, they also express concerns about the new fee structure and the potential for malicious installations. The author explores the different perspectives of game developers and companies, highlighting the frustrations of some who feel betrayed by the sudden change in terms. They also mention the impact on independent developers who may struggle to cover the fees with their game revenues. The author then draws a connection to the beauty of open-source software and the Free Software Movement, emphasizing the importance of not relying on a single company's decisions. They conclude by acknowledging their own limited understanding at the beginning and the importance of gathering information before forming conclusions.

The announcement of Unity charging installation fees has sparked a lot of discussion since September 12th, and my thoughts have also changed to some extent.

Getting Started#

I agree with the charges for the following reasons:

  1. Game developers use Unity's services and profit from them, so they should pay the corresponding fees.
  2. Charging has a certain threshold, which seems quite high to me.

Understanding#

I found that there were more opposing opinions than supporting or neutral ones, so I decided to understand it myself.

From Unity's official website, I learned that:

  1. Unity already has related charges, such as Unity Plus, Unity Pro, and so on.
  2. The new charges are based on new installs per month, which I find unreasonable.
    • How do you know how many times users have installed it?
    • How do you ensure that someone installs it maliciously, causing unnecessary losses for developers?

Game Developers#

Unity's charging standards differ for individuals and enterprises, and they are quite significant. For individuals, it is $0.2 per new install, while for enterprises, it can even go as low as $0.01. So I also investigated separately.

Companies with a Certain Scale#

Here are some excerpts from Unity can get fucked, written by the creator of Garry's Mod.

Let me be clear.. the cost isn't a big issue to us. If everything worked out, the tracking was flawless and it was 10p per sale, no biggy really. If that's what it costs, then that's what it costs.

This cost is affordable for them, and it seems to be no big deal.

It hurts because we didn't agree to this. We used the engine because you pay up front and then ship your product. We weren't told this was going to happen. We weren't warned. We weren't consulted.

We have spent 10 years making Rust on Unity's engine. We've paid them every year. And now they changed the rules.

Pointing out the anger: changing the terms without prior notice or consultation

We had 10 years to make our own engine and never did. I'm sure a lot of game companies are feeling the same today.

Regretting not making their own engine

Individual Developers#

In Unity Ruined Their Game Engine Forever, an example is given:
Some independent game developers have created small games with millions of downloads, but the revenue from the game's advertising system or paid content cannot cover the installation fees they need to pay. This can lead to a ridiculous situation: going bankrupt because the game is popular.

Extension#

In Unity Ruined Their Game Engine Forever, there is also a line I really like: "the beauty of Open Source is it's not run by one scumbag company that can absolutely decide to bring this any time day in shape you can just download this engine and start working on your project."

This made me think of GNU and the Free Software Movement. It's so wonderful and far-sighted.

My Takeaway#

I am not a game developer, just a gamer, a student who has not truly entered society.

So when I first heard about this, I didn't think or understand too much. I made a conclusion based solely on my judgment and even took a stance.

But as I delved deeper into understanding, my thoughts underwent a reversal. I think many things are like this.

So the biggest takeaway from this for me is: I shouldn't make judgments before understanding something.

Loading...
Ownership of this post data is guaranteed by blockchain and smart contracts to the creator alone.