this post was submitted on 15 Sep 2023
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[–] [email protected] 200 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The fact that these decisions are coming down from the ex-CEO of EA Games, who was the CEO when EA was voted “Worst Company in the World”, just makes all this even more entertaining to watch.

GamePass and probably most cheap sales are all going up in flames because Unity has hired a demon to lead them into oblivion.

[–] [email protected] 74 points 1 year ago

The fact that these decisions are coming down from the ex-CEO of EA Games . . . .

This guy speedrunning the enshittification game. Oceangate needs to build another sub, stat.

[–] [email protected] 47 points 1 year ago

Microsoft learned never to leave an EA exec at the wheel ten years earlier, with the disastrous launch of the Xbox One. You know, the all seeing, all knowing, all credit card charging privacy invader with its hooks permanently sunk into the internet, and a camera you couldn't cover, like it was some motherfucking episode of Max Headroom. Allow me to say, "Fuck you, Don Mattrick, and the DRM and surveillance-laden horse you rode in on."

[–] [email protected] 114 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Right. Here's how it works: Your game is on Gamepass, and a user installs it. Now instead of Microsoft paying you $0.15, then you paying Unity $0.10, Microsoft will just pay us directly the $0.10, and you still get your $0.05! See, it's a great deal! Everybody gets their money and you don't even have to deal with the Unity costs! Please, don't go!!

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[–] [email protected] 106 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Nintendo is gonna lawyer up at the speed of God before they'd pay unity a fucking cent.

[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago

You're assuming Nintendo ever lawyers down

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I'm sorry, but I'd be more terrified of Microsoft. A company worth more than nations, (current market cap puts it about the 10th richest country in the world), and who routinely tells other companies to pony up - and they do (look up a software audit if you want to see a corporate shakedown).

[–] spiritedpause 41 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Sorry to nitpick, but I see the comparison of a company market cap with country GDP a lot and it's a pet peeve of mine lol. Market cap is the value of the company, while GDP is equivalent to the total "revenue" that a country's economy generated that year. So a better comparison would be 2022 Microsoft revenue vs 2022 GDP of a country.

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[–] [email protected] 101 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (4 children)

Will they tho?

It’s unclear if Sony, Microsoft, and Nintendo are aware of this particular change in policy, and whether they’d be willing to comply with Unity Technologies.

[–] [email protected] 100 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Going into a legal dick measuring match with 3 of the most hardcore litigious corps in the tech world.

Sounds smart.

[–] [email protected] 55 points 1 year ago

Nintendoss lawyers right now:

[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago

If they aren't already paying royalties to Unity on behalf of the devs, then I can almost guarantee they won't be paying royalties in the future. If they are doing that, then the devs might want to double check their revenue, because that may mean that Unity's been double-dipping on royalties (taking royalties from distribution through Sony, MS and Nintendo, and then taking them again directly from the devs).

[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It’s like when CDPR said everyone could get refunds for CP2077 without talking to the stores first, then were shocked when Sony removed it from the PlayStation Store.

[–] [email protected] 33 points 1 year ago

Technically, CDPR being based in Europe were just informing people of their stuatory right to a refund within the first 14 days of any digital or online purchase. This highlighted that Sony have been managing to skirt that legislation with their policy's and not having a proper refund system in place so they threw a wobbler and took the game down. CDPR were in the right, legally speaking, with that one.

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Yep, although at least that was a pro-consumer move on CDPR's part. It's very understandable why Sony wasn't happy about it, but it wasn't a shady move on CDPR's part. Whereas the same definitely can't be said for Unity right now.

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[–] [email protected] 87 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Yeah, because Microsoft, Sony, and Nintendo are companies who would never pass those costs back to the devs or down onto consumers. They'd totally bite the bullet on Unity's new royalty...

Unity are out of their minds if they think this is at all a good move. All they're going to do by pushing devs away and pissing off the major distributors is inspire the creation/adoption of a competitor.

[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 year ago

That’s what happens when your CEO is an ex EA exec who thought that charging battlefield players a dollar to reload their gun was a good idea

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[–] [email protected] 86 points 1 year ago

And Mexico was going to pay for that southern boarder wall...

[–] [email protected] 78 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nintendo? Like fuck they will

[–] [email protected] 46 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Nintendo, Sony and Microsoft Lawyers united... that's an enemy you don't want to fight. Each department alone is scary enough. All three of them? Now, that's something you want to be on very solid ground for.

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[–] [email protected] 62 points 1 year ago (3 children)

You can just see the panic coming out of Unity.

They thought they’d be able to slip this change through and people would just pay it. They were expecting a big payday, not a storm of bad press and angry people.

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[–] [email protected] 54 points 1 year ago (1 children)

No they won't! There's no way any of the big console manufacturers will ever agree to those terms, ESPECIALLY Nintendo. Microsoft would just buy Unity out before paying that ransom. You be smokin' some bigtime crack, Riccitello.

[–] [email protected] 27 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Microsoft would just buy Unity out before paying that ransom

Maybe that's the plan lol

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[–] [email protected] 48 points 1 year ago (1 children)

PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox claim "no the fuck we won't..."

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[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 year ago

I wonder how they’d enforce that exactly since none of those companies are likely to have a contract with Unity that says they’d pay anything like that. Their distribution contracts are with the studios… and the studios, if they keep their subscriptions would be the ones contracted with Unity. Good luck telling MS or Sony that your little indie company bound them into a contract with your engine vendor.

[–] [email protected] 45 points 1 year ago (2 children)

By the definition of “distributor” this would include Steam, GOG, Epic, etc. as well.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago (2 children)

In before one of them starts stripping or firewalling the phone-home code. What's Unity gonna do? Valve hasn't signed any contracts with them!

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago

I don't want another attack vector for some hacker on my computer. That phone home code will be the second coming of the Sony rootkit.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 1 year ago

This sounds like it would mean charging Valve money for the privilege of using Valve's own infrastructure every time a player installed a Unity game after a major PC upgrade/reinstall or after uninstalling that MMO they dumped every other game in their library try out.

Steam could probably bake a ban on software that uses installation trackers into their developer/publisher ToS, or ban the collection or transmission of Steam user data related to installations, or something similar.

[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Apple has Unity games in Apple Arcade I’m sure; which is like “iCloud GamePass”. So add another behemoth with almost more lawyers than money.

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[–] [email protected] 44 points 1 year ago (3 children)

I wonder if it's purposeful sabotage at this point. You can't be that stupid and still be paid millions of dollars to do your job can you?

Capitalism is truly amazing if it can happen.

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[–] [email protected] 40 points 1 year ago

Good luck doing that too Nintendo. They're professional dicks

[–] [email protected] 39 points 1 year ago

Fastest way to have all traces of your engine scrubbed from realty.

[–] [email protected] 38 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Because picking a fight with some of the world's biggest companies is the best form of damage control...

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[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago

Meanwhile, Nintendo, Microsoft, and Sony:

[–] [email protected] 35 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Oh, so is this the result of some negotiation with them, or are they just saying random shit again?

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[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)

Listen peasants, if you don't like the freeholder fees we charge, then surely Lord Microsoft will shelter you on his lands as a serf, and pay your fees on your behalf.

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[–] [email protected] 29 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Actually...consumers end up paying for it. Companies will just increase prices as when the Government taxes them.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Companies will just increase prices whenever they can get away with it

Fixed that for ya.

[–] [email protected] 13 points 1 year ago

Also valid. Yeah

[–] [email protected] 28 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Weirdly they don't mention Steam...

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[–] [email protected] 26 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Somehow this cost will be pushed to us gamers

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[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Waiting to see if Unity games will get yanked from those platforms.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago (1 children)

So this is why we go ps plus and xbox game pass prices go up :D xd

[–] [email protected] 34 points 1 year ago (4 children)

People keep telling me that PC gaming is expensive and yet I pay no subscription fees and have plenty of choice for which storefront to purchase from so game prices tend to stay low outside a few exceptions.

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[–] [email protected] 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

No, they won't. Unity has an agreement with the devs not the platform holders

all that will happen is that unity games won't appear on subscription services

[–] [email protected] 18 points 1 year ago

Mares eat oats and does eat oats.

Ya gotta love when a corp realizes they’ve stepped in it and starts trying to create an escape route. I’m more than a little surprised that Unity’s board of directors haven’t taken the CEO’s head on a platter yet.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (3 children)

That cost will be passed on to the studios

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[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago (6 children)

Aren't there enough FOSS gamw engines out in the wild to keep indie authors and small companies working without concern for this kind of crap?

Contributing with a cash amount to have work done on any engine would be cheaper and more useful for all parts involved than having to deal with these vampires.

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