380°

Going forward, Unity devs will need Unity Pro to publish on consoles

In late June, Unity quietly updated its licensing policy requirements for developers working on “closed platforms” like Xbox, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Google Stadia.

Unity developers starting new projects will now need either a Unity Pro license or a Preferred Platform License Key to develop for these platforms.

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gamasutra.com
Orchard1664d ago (Edited 1664d ago )

"Unity’s changes here aren’t exactly sweeping, since many developers working on the platform already pay for Unity Pro or have access to Preferred Platform License Keys. Some developers Gamasutra spoke with didn’t even notice the change took place, or expressed indifference about how it would affect their future projects."

So a nothingburger really - and $1800 is really a drop in the ocean when it comes to game development... heck a dev kit will set you back $2.5-$10k - at least that is free on Xbox (and PC obviously).

1664d ago Replies(2)
staticall1662d ago

It's not a drop in the ocean if you're from a different country (where $1 can cost up to 100+ of local currency). And it's not just $1,800, it's $1,800 per year per seat. So if you have 2 developers (you and some other dude, making a game in your free time; like with Aquaria, for instance or Death's Door), you got to pay $3,600 per year.

Before this change you had to pay $0, unless your game sell for more that $200,000 in a year, then you had to buy Pro (but you would do that anyway, because it gives you more tools).

So yeah, «a nothingburger really».

P. S.: Oh, and Microsoft doesn't have Preferred Platform License Key program, while Sony and Nintendo do.

Orchard1662d ago (Edited 1662d ago )

It’s a drop in the ocean if developers didn’t even notice it changed and were indifferent to it changing.

That is Unity devs themselves saying that. They even say they already had Pro access anyway.

And if you can’t afford the $1800 license fee how are you ever going to afford dev kits?

staticall1662d ago

@Orchard
Did every developer said? No. And if you would read the post, it says «Some developers». I repeat, SOME developers. And it's because they already were paying for Pro, of course they wouldn't notice, for G-d's sake!

For example, i have $100 million, you have $100. We were forced to pay a $1,000 fee. For me, it's drop in the ocean, for you - no so much. So, according to you, we should ignore people like you, right? Wrong!

As for dev kits, it's one-time fee and it's a physical object (aka, hardware), that you can move to a new company if something happens with the current one. With this subscription, you must pay all the time, even if you used Unity (software) for just 1 hour in a year. And it's non-transferrable, for that matter.

I don't understand how you can not see the difference and say it's like basically the same thing.

CrimsonIdol1662d ago

You need the pro licence anyway if you make enough money off game development. If you don't make enough and still need to publish to Xbox then it'll be $150 a month and you won't necessarily need another pro licence for that or third second seat unless you desperately need all seats to be able to output to Xbox (you can all work on the same project and run your test builds locally on PC still). I'd hazard a guess that any team big enough to warrant a few seats that all need to test on Xbox then you're probably making enough money to have to pay the 150 a month under the previous tiered licence structure anyway.

majiebeast1662d ago Show
badz1491662d ago

for true xbox supporters, they would want Phil Spencer to buy all these devs instead.

MadLad1661d ago

N4G: MS has no games
MS: *acquires quality devs to make games*
N4G: *attacks MS for acquiring devs to make games*

Magog1662d ago

Good. Hopefully it causes devs to abandon this awful software. Worst engine by far.

isarai1662d ago

You've never used it have you? Lol. It's one of the easiest engines to get started out there, and is the reason Epic made a free version of Unreal. It's an extremely capable engine, people just see the less graphically intensive games and say it's shite, but there are so many for unity BECAUSE it's so easy for entry level devs to use.

SimpleSlave1662d ago

Mhhh...:
Inside
Cuphead
Hollow Knight 1 and 2
Ori 1 and 2
Firewatch
Wasteland 2 and 3
Cities Skylines
Pillars of Eternity 1 and 2
Subnautica 1 and 2
Superhot
Nights in the Woods
Satellite Reign
Risk of Rain 2
Untitled Goose Game
Cloudpunk
Desperados 3
Genshin Impact
Nocturne HD Remaster
Outer Wilds
Pathologic 2
Yooka-Laylee and the Impossible Lair
River City Girls
Ape Out
Among Us
Rimworld
Return of the Obra Dinn
Pathfinder Kingmaker
Outcast Second Contact
Dex
Shadowrun Trilogy
Republique
Darkwood
Oddworld 1 and 2
Shadow Tactics: Blades of the Shogun

etc.

But yes, what an awful software. Worst engine by far.

Sounds like you problem...

victorMaje1662d ago

I wouldn’t say the worst engine by far, but I will make a prediction :)
Watch as Godot surpasses Unity as preferred indie engine by 2024.

isarai1662d ago

Don't know why the disagrees, there has been rumblings and buzz building around that engine for some time now much like Unity in it's early days. I'd say if they keep improving it, that's not unlikely. Haven't used it myself yet but i've heard good things

victorMaje1662d ago

@isarai
I get the disagrees, Unity still is a sensible choice or maybe it’s about not agreeing Godot is the right alternative, it’s fine.

I’ve used both & let me tell you Godot is very lightweight on the system. I could think of sthg, launch my project, change the code, build & run in about 30 seconds to a minute. The same never takes under 5 minutes on Unity & I found the flow of work is way better/faster on Godot + full fledged UI solution, themes system & multiplayer built-in. Sorry don’t mean to sound like an ad I just love the engine :)

It’s not without disadvantages of course & Unity still has advantages for now, but Godot is open source & constantly evolving. It has incredible potential.
I’d say for 2d games Godot is a no-brainer. And quickly catching up on 3D.

MadLad1661d ago

"Abandon the engine that has allowed many people to enter the industry, being it's easy go use".

Man, you just want an entire industry filled with the same recycled AAA industry trash, simply because they have money to license high end engines, eh?
Great content has been created with Unity. So, as a gamer, I disagree with your highly simple statement.

+ Show (1) more replyLast reply 1661d ago
KillBill1662d ago

This is a new licensing policy by Unity to try and force Microsoft into paying the same way Sony and Nintendo have been doing. Previously it was free on Xbox development. Microsoft will be addressing the new requirements and options for new development needs.

Rhythmattic1661d ago

Xbox development was once for a console, but as MS have moved the goal posts , As xbox is not just a console, a brand redefined, is that why? Using the doorway to what is really a bigger platform "Xbox" by saying it's not?
(Just my "throw it out there" and see what sticks)

30°

Don't wait two years like me, you need Bazzite on your Asus ROG Ally right now

Pocket Tactics writes: "I finally made the move to install Bazzite on my ROG Ally recently, and I can't imagine playing this Steam Deck rival without it going forward."

Read Full Story >>
pockettactics.com
60°

What an Xbox founder thinks of the new Xbox CEO | Seamus Blackley interview

Gamesbeat caught up with Blackley to extract some wisdom about Microsoft’s journey in games, what he thinks Sharma should do, and where gaming can go next. Part of his message is hopeful, but Blackley sees a lot of peril on the road that Microsoft is following. And it makes him worry about the future of gaming.

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gamesbeat.com
2d ago
piroh1d 15h ago

"I expect that the new CEO, Asha Sharma, her job is going to be as a palliative care doctor who slides Xbox gently into the night."

LOL

Anyway, let's wait and see maybe Mia Khalifa will surprise us.

rlow11d 13h ago

I’m on the fence about her. I’ll give her chance, but if she is there to finish things off. Well what can you do.

Abnor_Mal1d 10h ago (Edited 1d 10h ago )

After seeing the article of the possible sunsetting of Xbox as said by Seamus Blackley I believe, I went onto X because of a post I saw. It was a gif of Vegeta powering up, the poster commented as Vegeta yelling “Don’t take my fiercest competitor away from me.” Standing there in his blue Sayian/Freiza corps outfit. So it got me to thinking, so let me ask a question to N4G.

If Vegeta is PlayStation, who would Xbox and Nintendo be in the Dragon Ball universe?

Who would be Master Roshi?

I have my own opinion of course, I just want to see what others think.

90°

That’s It, I’m Calling It, Xbox Is Dead, Time Of Death February 20

If you read Kotaku even semi-regularly, you already know that Xbox has been in a weird spot for some time now. And with today’s news that both Xbox boss Phil Spencer and President Sarah Bond are leaving and the new head of the brand will be a former Meta exec who previously lead Microsoft’s AI division, I think it’s time to call it. Xbox is dead. Time of death: February 20, 2026

beerhound4d ago

"The report of my death was an exaggeration." = Mark Twain

derek3d ago

"You would have to be alive first before dying" =
Me

Cacabunga3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

This brand died in the last 2 years of 360 since Kinect announcement.. downfall started all of a sudden until reaching the point of no return with xbox 1 DRM disasters

beerhound4d ago

"The report of my death was an exaggeration." - Mark Twain

BehindTheRows4d ago

So ready to defend that you posted it twice.

In any event, I have a more accurate quote: "It's dead, Jim".

S2Killinit4d ago

Also Mark Twain:
I have never wished death on anyone but I have read some obituaries with great pleasure.

Zerobalance4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

God! Xbox dead again! Boring! Boring. Heard it all before.

InUrFoxHole4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

While I normally agree... The future of xbox is on shaky ground. Well, xbox as we know it. Im not sure what they are shooting for but who they put in charge mixed with Phil retiring and bond just flat out leaving. It's not looking good.

REDDURT4d ago

Im with you but in western countries I have noticed a trend to put women in control to prevent any kind of critics.

F0XH0UND9224d ago

Does this coping mechanism normally work for you?

bsingle404d ago

Get ready to hear it a lot more as the final nail goes home.

derek3d ago

Copilot is running the xbox division now, its first official act was fire Spencer and Bond then sell Xbox for scraps.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 3d ago
Levii_924d ago

Oh come on, Xbox has been dead for at least 10 years now. I think what’s more important right now is Playstation’s death that is very slowly but surely happening through mismanagement and greed.

InUrFoxHole4d ago

Some what agree. Sony is in a better position to unf#$k themselves. Xbox isn't.

Levii_924d ago

True i agree with that, xbox's got nothing

ocelot074d ago

I actually agree sooner Hust is gone the better.

Levii_924d ago

He's being clowned on by the entire internet but i have been clowning on him way before he became CEO. I hate modern PS so much man. To this day i have no idea how Astro Bot happend in this terrible PS era but that was clearly a miracle.

Grilla4d ago

Delusional take, why do xbots always project Xbox’s problems onto PlayStation?

BehindTheRows4d ago

Every. Time! They compare the closing of a studio (one I liked, mind you, but they know their business better than internet dwellers) to the departure of not one but TWO major figureheads at Xbox. On top of Xbox's other problems, they are also now selling their games everywhere (not just PC).

Sorry diehard Xbox fanatics, we've been down this road before. PlayStation has closed studios. It happens. Maybe they weren't pulling their weight. Maybe they have a restructure in place. What ever the case, it won't come any close to tanking their brand. Xbox isn't in that boat. As a piece of hardware, it is all but irrelevant (hanging on only because of Game Pass at this point). It serves no other purpose because you don't even need that console to play its games. If it was just Xbox/PC, that would be different, but here we are.

So, this isn't the SonyToo that y'all love to hang on. Things are not good for Xbox hardware. At all. It is about time to start accepting that.

0hMyGandhi4d ago (Edited 4d ago )

Respectfully, This is probably one of my least favorite tactics in making an argument.
I'll give you an example: If I like the color red, it doesn't mean I hate the color blue.

People lamenting the (potential) demise of the xbox brand has nothing to do with sony or playstation. It has everything to do with xbox. Now, for the sake of argument, you could say that Sony and Microsoft are two peas in a pod, and that they've both made absolutely baffling and worryingly stupid decisions in the recent past. But I truly believe that Xbox would be shooting itself in the foot regardless of Sony's presence (I look at you, Xbox One reveal with always online DRM and the inability to share games).

Sony, on the other hand, is making stupid decisions to stay competitive with the market, and like Microsoft, is seemingly forcing by proverbial gunpoint talented developers to try to make the next GAAS experience and never learning their lesson. I believe that Microsoft squandering RARE is the equivalent of Sony squandering Naughty Dog. Neither platform really knows what they want to be, BUT Sony is alot further along in figuring it out before Microsoft pulls out another revolver and takes aim at another of it's own toes.

Agent754d ago

Xbox died after the Xbox 360. The Xbox One was mediocre, the Series X was game shy. I'm glad Phil is retiring.

S2Killinit4d ago

Exaggerated projection of xbox problems onto Sony. This is what gave xbox the extra slack all these generations to eventually run themselves into the ground.

+ Show (3) more repliesLast reply 4d ago
The_Blue4d ago

This is why the views and comments are low, with lame articles that use divide-and-conquer pretensions.

ApexLanding234d ago

To be fair "divide and conquer pretensions" have been present in the comment section of this website for years regardless of the articles title, composition or intent. It's therefore unlikely that's what's playing a part in low viewership and commenting.

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