Stardew Valley occupies my heart, mind, and soul still, years following its initial release. ConcernedApe created one of the greatest games I’ve ever had the pleasure of playing, and it’s about farming. The solo developer obviously has a maxed-out power level enabling him to make tending to a virtual farm so addictive, and it looks like fellow game devs would agree. Whitney ‘Cenx’ Spinks, co-creator of Terraria, responded to ConcernedApe’s recent 1.6 update teaser in the most wholesome way ever.
Terraria devs donate $20K to open-source engines in wake of Unity changes
21.09.2023 - 20:57 / polygon.com / Unity Runtime
Unity might be facing the ire that comes with a near-universal condemnation of a new policy change, but at least things are looking up for two open-source game engines.
On Tuesday, the developers of Terraria announced that their team plans to donate $200,000 to two open-source game development engines: Godot and FNA. This announcement follows one made on Sep. 12 by the widely used game engine, Unity, regarding a change in its pricing policy that sparked outcry from game developers.
“We unequivocally condemn and reject the recent TOS/fee changes proposed by Unity and the underhanded way they were rolled out,” Terraria developer Re:Logic said via X on Wednesday. “The flippant manner with which years of trust cultivated by Unity were cast aside for yet another way to squeeze publishers, studios, and gamers is the saddest part. That this move was wholly unnecessary pushes things into the tragedy category — a cautionary tale the industry will not soon forget.”
pic.twitter.com/ZqzGMTui0f
Unity is a well-known game engine used by AAA and indie studios alike. Popular games like Pokémon Go, Hollow Knight, Rust, and Hearthstone, among countless others, use Unity. On Sept. 12, the company announced a pricing policy change that would tie fees to game installs and to instances of the Unity Runtime code booted up on a player’s device. This would be in contrast to developers paying royalty percentages based on their revenue (as with Unreal Engine, for example). The change was seemingly universally condemned by game developers, including Re:Logic. Terraria doesn’t run on Unity except for a few elements on mobile and console platforms.
Since the original announcement, Unity has said that the company will change the new pricing policy. The company has not announced details on a new pricing plan, but said on Monday that it would release details in a “couple of days.” For many developers, though, the damage has been done.
Re:Logic took the opportunity to voice the need for more accessible game engines: “We do not feel that a simple public statement is sufficient. Even if Unity were to recant their policies and statements, the destruction of trust is not so easily repaired. We strongly feel that it is now equally important to get behind some of the other up-and-coming open source game engines.”
As a result, Re:Logic decided to donate $100,000 each to two open-source engines. FNA, a game engine that repurposes Microsoft XNA Game Studio 4.0 Refresh libraries, will get $100,000, and so will another open-source engine called Godot. On top of that, the studio plans to donate $1,000 a month to each studio moving forward, so as to support their ongoing work.
The website gametalkz.com is an aggregator of news from open sources. The source is indicated at the beginning and at the end of the announcement. You can send a complaint on the news if you find it unreliable.
Top Authors
Popular Topics
pcgamer.com
04.10.2023 / 17:05
Payday 3 dev says it's making 'a bunch of changes' to the game's detested progression system 9 days after saying it had no plans to do so
Payday 3 has had, shall we say, a rough launch, and one of the main sources of player protest has been its progression system. Heisters just aren't thrilled that your infamy points—the things you accrue to unlock new weapons, cosmetics, and what have you—are tied exclusively to the game's challenges. It can mean that players whose goal is to unlock new gear are better off completely ignoring their heist in order to focus on blasting as many cops as possible to tick off 'kill 20 enemies with this gun' challenges. A little backwards, for a Payday game.
destructoid.com
03.10.2023 / 08:27
A thermos is upending the Alan Wake community
One of the biggest releases this month is Alan Wake 2, and it’s a title that fans have been waiting for years since the 2010 game garnered itself a cult following. As its launch draws nearer, Remedy has been cranking up the marketing and slowly revealing more of what we can expect from Wake’s next horror adventure.
gamedeveloper.com
27.09.2023 / 22:57
Why Remedy revived Alan Wake by reviving Alan Wake in Alan Wake 2
Seeing Remedy Entertainment's cult favorite horror game Alan Wake make a comeback is a strange feeling. Arriving 13 years after the original, Alan Wake 2 sees the return of the titular protagonist who can rewrite reality, all while evading the creeping dark forces that's always one step behind him.
gamesradar.com
26.09.2023 / 18:31
Vampire Survivors dev asked if he'll ever use Unity again: "lol no thank you!"
Just last month, indie roguelike hit Vampire Survivors swapped to a whole new game engine in Unity. Now, with the whole game industry crying foul over Unity's half-retracted fee changes, the game's creator has a simple answer for whether he'd ever use the engine again: "lol no thank you!"
gamespot.com
25.09.2023 / 17:59
Upcoming Switch Game Canceled, As Dev Cites "Trust And Security" Issues After Unity Debacle
«This comes as a big kick in the balls to both us and everybody else who was excited for this version of the game»
videogameschronicle.com
25.09.2023 / 10:23
Switch game cancelled over controversial Unity changes
A planned Switch port of BallisticNG, a Wipeout-inspired racing game with “overwhelmingly positive” reviews on Steam, has been cancelled due to Unity’s recent policy changes.
gamedeveloper.com
22.09.2023 / 20:17
Unity apologizes to devs, reveals updated Runtime Fee policy
Next Up: Read Game Developer's interview with Unity Create President Marc Whitten , discussing the road to the changes below and what Unity has learned from the backlash surrounding the original Runtime Fee policy.
destructoid.com
21.09.2023 / 15:21
Terraria developer Re-Logic pledges over $100,000 to open-source engines following Unity controversy
Developers received a nasty surprise when Unity announced that those who use its game engine will be subject to a runtime fee, beginning next year. This runtime fee will be charged monthly on a per-installation basis.
pcgamer.com
20.09.2023 / 19:23
Terraria developer sticks it to Unity with $200K donation to open-source competitors, doesn't even use Unity itself
The irony has been pointed out many times: When game engine Unity revealed its new per-install fee last week, game developers were possibly the most united they've ever been—in disgust. Even developers who don't use Unity expressed anger or criticized the unprecedented change of terms.
rockpapershotgun.com
20.09.2023 / 18:25
Terraria devs pledge ongoing support for Unity alternatives after condemning game engine’s “predatory moves”
Terraria makers Re-Logic have donated $100,000 to two open-source alternatives to game engine Unity, and vowed to donate to Godot and FNA every month from now on, after slamming Unity’s recent runtime fee plans.
pcgamesn.com
20.09.2023 / 12:43
Terraria dev pledges $200,000 to Unity rivals amid fees controversy
Terraria developer Re-Logic makes a show of support for open source engines Godot and FNA in response to the recent Unity runtime fee announcement. The team behind Terraria, one of the biggest and best indie games on Steam, slams Unity for its “destruction of trust” with the announcement of new fees that would see the most successful games using its service charged per individual download past a certain milestone, and commits $100,000 donations to two rival development engines with ongoing sponsorships.