Unity Faces Unprecedented Security Threats, Forces Unprecedented Office Shutdown
Unity takes precautionary measures after receiving a credible death threat, canceling a town hall and temporarily closing two offices for the safety of its employees
In response to a credible death threat, Unity Technologies – the company behind the widely used video game engine Unity – has decided to cancel a town meeting and shut down two offices. The threat comes hot on the heels of the controversial introduction of a new business model that has been labeled as predatory towards game developers. Unity's CEO, John Riccitiello, made the decision to cancel the meeting and announced the closure of the company's offices in San Francisco, California and Austin, Texas for the rest of the day.
Unity Technologies recently revealed their plans to introduce a runtime fee for studios, effective from January 1, 2024. This fee will be determined by the number of installations of games built with the Unity engine, and studios will be required to pay between $.01 and $.20 per installation once they surpass a specific threshold. However, game developers expressed their concern over these new policies, pointing out that they violate previous agreements, lack transparency, and pose a significant financial burden on many studios.
Following this announcement, developers have taken steps to initiate a class-action lawsuit against Unity. Additionally, reports suggest that there is growing dissension within the company. In a now-deleted post, an employee revealed that their team had extensively discussed the negative reception expected from these changes, emphasizing the need for simplicity and providing a comprehensive FAQ that addresses all potential scenarios.
