The Unity pricing controversy has escalated to a troubling and hazardous level. According to a new report, Unity has canceled a scheduled town hall meeting due to credible death threats.
Unity CEO John Riccitiello was supposed to address employees on Thursday morning, but the meeting was called off, and two of the company’s offices were closed as a result of the alleged threats.
Earlier this week, Unity, known for its video game engine widely used by indie developers, announced changes to its pricing model.
In addition to the existing yearly subscription fees, Unity plans to implement a pay-per-install pricing scheme. This new model would charge developers every time a game is installed on a device after the game reaches certain download and revenue thresholds.
The announcement was met with significant backlash. Many indie developers expressed their discontent, arguing that the changes would negatively impact their already narrow profit margins.
The sudden and unclear communication of these policy shifts further eroded their trust in Unity.
Some developers have even threatened to abandon Unity altogether and are urging players to purchase their games without downloading them to avoid triggering the new fees.
Riccitiello has become a focal point of the controversy, with many viewing him as the architect of the new pricing model. His past actions have only fueled the criticism.
As the former CEO of Electronic Arts, he oversaw the introduction of the controversial loot box monetization in FIFA 09.
He also drew attention when he referred to developers as “fucking idiots” for their reluctance to incorporate monetization schemes early in game development.
Additionally, there is a notorious clip of Riccitiello during a shareholder call, where he discussed the idea of charging Battlefield players a dollar to reload their guns.
Further scrutiny was placed on him this week when it was revealed that he sold 2,000 Unity shares just before the company announced the pricing changes, leading to a significant drop in the stock price.
In response to the backlash, Unity has issued some clarifications and retracted several of the most unpopular aspects of the new pricing structure.
Developers will no longer be charged for demos or game re-installs but will still be charged for installs on multiple devices.
Unity also introduced measures to protect against fraud or malicious activity and exempted games included in charity bundles from the fees.
The company has stated that it expects only 10 percent of its users to be affected by these changes, specifically targeting those who have achieved success on a large scale.
