The cost of developing and releasing an indie game is already an uphill battle for many independent developers. Now, Unity Technologies is introducing something that’s further complicating the process – a new per-install fee for developers using its Unity Engine.
Unity Technologies recently announced the new fee structure of their Unity engine, which triggers an additional charge whenever developers make an in-app purchase or download it from the Google Play Store or Apple App Store. While the fee is relatively small – between 0.5% and 3% depending on the volume of installs – the move has been controversial among indie developers.
Many developers are worried about the fee having a negative impact on revenue since many indie games rely heavily on in-app purchases and paid downloads. For games that require heavy marketing to get people to download them, such as arcade or puzzle games, the per-install fee could severely hamper the profits indie developers make. Indie devs are also worried that the fee might be high enough to keep potential buyers away, as some people might avoid purchasing a game if it has additional fees.
Despite these concerns, some indie developers have been quick to praise the move, citing the benefit of having access to a powerful development engine that could help them quickly and efficiently deliver games to the market. Additionally, the Unity engine is one of the most popular engines for indie developers, and many are willing to pay the fee in exchange for the capabilities that come with it.
At the end of the day, Unity’s per-install fee is another issue indie developers have to take into consideration when planning and developing a game. There’s no easy answer as to whether or not it’s worth the additional cost, as it’s ultimately up to the individual developer as to whether it’s a worthy tradeoff.
