Unity Offers Apology and Commits to Rectifying Past Shortcomings

By Maggie Last updated Sep 19, 2023

Unity, the company renowned for its popular video game engine, sent shockwaves through the gaming community with a recent overhaul of its pricing structure. This move, widely criticized as unfair and possibly even illegal, triggered an outcry from players, developers, and publishers alike.

On September 18, 2023, Unity issued a statement via social media that was met with mixed reactions. The statement, somewhat lacking in substance, began with a rather generic PR apology: “We have heard you,” it started, “We apologize for the confusion and frustration caused by the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday. We are actively engaging with our team, community, customers, and partners, and we will be revising the policy. Expect an update in the coming days. Thank you for your candid and constructive feedback.”

One can’t help but wonder why Unity didn’t consult with their “team, community, customers, and partners” before making this ill-fated decision in the first place. It turns out that many Unity employees did warn the leadership about the impending disaster, but their concerns were dismissed.

It begs the question: Is the strategy here to initially propose something disastrous, then backtrack slightly to present it as a favorable compromise, all the while self-applauding? The true extent of Unity’s policy reversal remains to be seen, but the trust between the company and its clients has already been severely strained by this move. A complete reversal seems unlikely, given the apparent determination of Unity’s corporate leadership.

The response to Unity’s statement has been rather lukewarm, largely due to a lack of trust. After all, actions speak louder than words. “Let’s see the changes,” remarked Geoff Keighley, founder and host of The Game Awards, in response to the statement.

CohhCarnage, one of Twitch’s most respected streamers, succinctly encapsulated the sentiments of many when he commented on the post: “We have heard you. We have not listened to you. Here is a bunch of marketing talk to make you think we’re doing something when in actuality we’re just figuring out how to keep doing what we’ve already decided to do. Thanks for your honest and critical feedback. What? Seriously.”