Game Maker's Toolkit founder and Pocketgamer.biz alumnus Mark Brown has become the latest industry expert to weigh in on Unity's change in policies - notably the imposition of a 20 cents per install fee on all games that surpass a yearly revenue and install threshold.

"This opens up so many potential issues surrounding things like Game Pass, Epic Game Store freebies, piracy, demos, bundles, re-installing games, and more," said Brown. "It even has some developers worried that they could potentially owe Unity more money than they actually make from the game! It's a baffling decision and the deal completely stinks for indie game makers.

"And by springing this grim contract-change on developers with barely any notice, and applying it retroactively to games already on the market, Unity is showing a callous disregard for the talented people who use their software. The company has lost the trust and backing of its users and that broken relationship can't be healed so easily."

A unified industry

The mobile games industry has come together in opposition of Unity's changes, but Brown stands out not just thanks to his status as a game maker in his own right, but as someone who educates others on the process of game making - specifically on Unity.

"I've personally been using Unity to make my games - Platformer Toolkit and the still-in-progress (promise! truly! for real!) Untitled Magnet Game - and I plan to finish making Magnet Game in Unity," said Brown. "But I'll be investigating other engines going forward. I hope that Unity will reverse this call and make a different choice - but I'll still be considering my options.

"If you've been inspired by my videos or tutorials to get into game making and are considering using Unity, you may wish to try other engines instead. I don't have any tutorials for Godot or Unreal (yet?) but there's plenty of great stuff on YouTube."

We listed Unity as one of the top 50 mobile game makers of 2023.