What is the Unity Runtime Fee?
Unity Technologies announced a new Unity Runtime Fee that will take effect on January 1, 2024.
This fee applies to games that meet both a minimum revenue threshold and a minimum install
threshold over the lifetime of the game.
For Unity Personal and Unity Plus plans, games must have over $200,000 in revenue in the past
12 months and over 200,000 lifetime installs to qualify. For Unity Pro and Enterprise plans,
the thresholds are $1,000,000 in revenue and 1,000,000 lifetime installs.
Once a game passes both thresholds, a fee will be charged for each new install of that game
after January 1, 2024. The fee amount per install decreases based on volume tiers - games with
higher volumes of monthly installs will pay less per install. There are also discounted rates
for installs that occur in emerging markets compared to developed markets.
Unity states the goal of this fee is to fund continued investment in the Unity runtime code
that is distributed with each game download. The fee will be charged monthly based on new
installs for that month. It does not replace existing Unity subscription fees.
Read the announcement blog post here: https://blog.unity.com/news/plan-pricing-and-packaging-updates.
FAQ
What is the Unity Runtime Fee?
It is a new per-install fee that Unity is charging for games that meet certain revenue and
lifetime install thresholds. It goes towards Unity's continued investment in the runtime
code.
When does the fee take effect?
January 1, 2024. It applies to new installs after this date.
How is the fee calculated?
It is the applicable rate based on install volume tiers multiplied by the number of new
installs for that month. Rates decrease as monthly install volumes increase.
What are the thresholds?
For Personal/Plus - $200K revenue in past 12 months and 200K lifetime installs. For
Pro/Enterprise - $1M revenue in past 12 months and 1M lifetime installs.
Does the fee apply retroactively?
No, only for new installs starting January 1, 2024.
How are installs defined?
An install is the installation and initialization of a project on an end user's device.
Are there any discounts?
Yes, volume discounts apply based on monthly install tiers. Credits may apply for using
certain Unity services.
Does this replace my Unity subscription?
No, the runtime fee is in addition to your normal subscription fees.
How will I be invoiced?
Monthly based on that month's install data.
How are non-gaming apps impacted?
The runtime fee currently does not apply to film, gambling, or education subscription plans.
For other industries, contact your account manager.
Could the thresholds change in the future?
Unity has not stated the thresholds will change, but recommends checking for updates each
year. The thresholds may be adjusted over time.
How do you calculate lifetime installs?
It is the total number of installs across all platforms since the game was first published.
Unity's analytics tools can help you determine this number.
What if my revenue drops below the threshold in a future year?
The fee would still apply based on the lifetime thresholds being met previously. The
thresholds only determine initial eligibility.