Cult of the Lamb
Unity's new policy on runtime fees has triggered a storm of criticism, but none as dramatic as the developer of Cult of the Lamb's recent move. The action-roguelite game's creators, Massive Monster, declared they're pulling the game from shelves come January 1, 2024.
The uproar began when Unity unveiled a policy that would charge developers a fee for each game download. Dubbed the "Unity Runtime Fee," the policy drew immediate flak from developers across social media platforms. Unity backpedaled somewhat, clarifying that the fee applies only to initial installs, not subscription-based platforms like Xbox Game Pass.
Nevertheless, concerns persist, with developers questioning their continued use of Unity. Massive Monster took it up a notch, tweeting from the Cult of the Lamb's official account: "Buy Cult of the Lamb now, cause we're deleting it on Jan 1st." This marks a momentous escalation in the industry-wide discord surrounding Unity's controversial decision.
Cult of the Lamb even made a pooping animation to protest Unity's new policy:
We don't share spoilers much for contents updates,
— Cult of the Lamb 💅 🌈 (@cultofthelamb) September 13, 2023
But that poop animation seems WAY too fitting.
The dilemma raises questions about how Unity's policy shifts could reshape the landscape for game developers, and indeed, whether Unity may need to rethink its approach to retain developer trust. While the company has partially revised the policy, it's clear that significant damage has already been done.
Source: Twitter/X