this post was submitted on 14 Sep 2023
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A fresh report into Unity's hugely-controversial decision to start charging developers when their games are downloaded has thrown fresh light on the situation.

MobileGamer sources say Unity has already offered some studios a 100% fee waiver - if they switch over to Unity's own LevelPlay ad platform.

The report quotes industry consultants that say this move is an "attempt to destroy" Unity's main competitior in this field: AppLovin.

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[–] empireOfLove@lemmy.one 238 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Why's it always end up being fucking ads?

I hate late stage capitalism. I want off Mr. Bones' Wild Ride.

[–] dudewitbow@lemmy.ml 79 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Shareholders prefer constant steady income over one time purchases. Hence why they prefer subscriptions and ads.

[–] sadreality@kbin.social 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well... Peasants need this hot thing called voting with your feet and money...

Amazing things can be done esp in 100% discretionary sectors.

But nahh...

[–] empireOfLove@lemmy.one 10 points 1 year ago

I know they do, and I hate it so so much...

[–] lorez@lemm.ee 2 points 1 year ago

That's why I'm gonna buy Procreate Dreams even if I'm not an animator.

[–] Mac@mander.xyz 1 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Well yeah. Subscriptions make a shitload of money compared to a one-time payment.

[–] Maultasche@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago

The ride never ends

[–] Rubanski@lemm.ee 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] lorez@lemm.ee 1 points 1 year ago
[–] gravitas_deficiency@sh.itjust.works 101 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Lol nope. Not even fucking close. You’re gonna die, Unity. You have only yourself to blame.

[–] Valmond@lemmy.mindoki.com 22 points 1 year ago

Ooh yeah FOSS forever!

[–] Poggervania@kbin.social 75 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The conspiracy theorist in me says Unity planned this whole thing out to get less resistance on this thing they actually wanted to roll out; announce a super shit change that will intentionally outrage everybody, then say “ok, we won’t do it if you agree to use this other shitty model instead”.

Anyways, big shoutout to Godot for existing as an open-source alternative.

[–] drphungky@lemmy.world 46 points 1 year ago

That's not a conspiracy theory that's like entry level MBA stuff.

[–] ArmoredThirteen@lemmy.ml 60 points 1 year ago

Hey remember that time Unity bought IronSource so they could integrate ads more aggressively? Unity stopped being a game engine at some point they're just an ads company now

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 46 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is such a dumb move.

Forget about ethics for a minute, if there is an alternate option that doesn't cost as much money then developers would obviously make use of that option so in any environment where alternate options exist companies have a limit of how obnoxious they can be and get away with it.

Somehow unity forgot that Unreal and Godot exist.

[–] stigmata@lemmy.world 13 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Honestly, if I had any stake in them I'd be wondering why Unity is so desperate for money.

[–] BURN@lemmy.world 8 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Every tech company is desperate for money right now. Funding isn’t coming in at the same rate it did for the last 10 years and now everyone is desperately trying to make a profit.

[–] RizzRustbolt@lemmy.world 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Crypto is a hell of a drug.

[–] BURN@lemmy.world 9 points 1 year ago

It wasn’t really just crypto. The American government subsidized a lot of loans and did a lot to stimulate the economy post 2008. Those policies are now catching up to us. Crypto didn’t help anything, but it also wasn’t the root cause.

[–] BURN@lemmy.world 45 points 1 year ago

I’m pretty sure this is just unequivocally worse. This is how Ads end up in paid games. Unity is speed running their complete collapse as the dominant player in the market.

[–] itsaghostcar@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

AppLovin? What kind of a stupid name is that? What, are they trying to be an Irish R&B singer?

[–] funktion@lemm.ee 7 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It was either that or Mohammed

[–] derpgon@programming.dev 1 points 1 year ago

I heard it could've been Aladeen, but they didn't know if it was too positive or negative.

[–] geosoco@kbin.social 5 points 1 year ago

They hired the same marketing firm to come up with a name that McDonalds' used.

[–] foggy@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Time to polish off my unreal dev skills, something tells me those jobs about to be hot.

[–] Redo11@szmer.info 9 points 1 year ago (1 children)
[–] foggy@lemmy.world 26 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No, I'd be better off polishing off my existing skills using a technology that currently holds a significant market share in the industry.

[–] eskimofry@lemmy.one 2 points 1 year ago

Technically concepts do that... not tools. You can do the same bashing with a hammer or a wrench

[–] sebinspace@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago

Unity have yet to discover that nothing happens quietly on the internet.

[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 19 points 1 year ago

That's worse, you fucking assholes.

[–] Semi-Hemi-Demigod@kbin.social 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Elon Musk: speedruns enshittification on Xitter

Unity: "Hold my beer"

It's enshittification all the way down

[–] Hiccup@lemmy.dbzer0.com 11 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Fuck unity. Use anything but unity.

[–] tal@kbin.social 2 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The closest competitor is, what, Unreal Engine? That's more costly.

[–] havokdj@lemmy.world 14 points 1 year ago
[–] Ertebolle@kbin.social 8 points 1 year ago

How many times are developers going to put up with being used as sticks for one group of rich assholes to whack a different group of rich assholes with before we start supporting open platforms?

[–] frezik@midwest.social 5 points 1 year ago

And there's the two-step. Don't come right out with what you want. Come out with a bad option, then switch over to the option you wanted when everyone complains.

[–] FoundTheVegan@kbin.social 3 points 1 year ago

say this move is an "attempt to destroy" Unity's main competitior in this field: AppLovin.

This is the best advertisment ever. I've messed around in Unity a few times and would've recommended to people interested in a framework. But I guess I got a new platform to talk about.

[–] legion@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Game devs: "No thanks, we're waiving the fees by using a different engine."

[–] zepheriths@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

I think among us 2 just restarted development, what a shame exactly 0 cents with go to unity

[–] NOT_RICK@lemmy.world 1 points 1 year ago

Don’t you just love when a company creates a problem just to go and try to sell the solution?