"Trust is already broken" - Asmongold lambasts Unity for their public statement in aftermath of controversial pricing fiasco

Popular Twitch personality Zack "Asmongold" commented on Unity's recent public statement in the aftermath of the controversial pricing fiasco. For context, on September 13, 2023, the San Francisco-based company shocked the community by announcing a feature called "Runtime Fee," which would require developers to pay a fee each time a user installed their game or revenue was generated.

The news spread like wildfire on the internet, resulting in a massive backlash against this decision. Unity issued their first public statement the next day, on September 14, 2023, claiming that the price increase was "very targeted." They also stated that game developers would only be required to pay the Runtime Fee on new installs, which won't be perpetual.

On September 18, 2023, the game engine platform apologized publicly on X (formerly Twitter) for the "confusion and angst" caused by the new pricing structure. They added:

"We have heard you. We apologize for the confusion and angst the runtime fee policy we announced on Tuesday caused. We are listening, talking to our team members, community, customers, and partners, and will be making changes to the policy. We will share an update in a couple of days. Thank you for your honest and critical feedback."

In response, Asmongold lambasted Unity, stating that their decision to implement Runtime Fee resulted in trust being broken. He wrote:

Y'all not going to get off this like some bull**it video game apology with weak-willed gamer nerds. People need to build a future with a design engine and the trust is already broken. No one going to build a castle on (the) sand after your bulls**t."

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"Revert the entire plan, or it’s not going to end well" - Popular internet personalities respond to Unity's recent public address

Asmongold's response to Unity's apology (Image via X)

In addition to Asmongold, several prominent internet personalities voiced their opinions on the game engine's public apology. The Game Awards host, Geoff Keighley, wanted to see the changes being implemented:

Geoff Keighley's response to the public address (Image via X)

According to One True King (OTK) co-founder EsfandTV, if Unity does not revert the plan, it will not "end well." He added:

"It’s not complicated. Revert the entire plan, or it’s not going to end well. It doesn’t take a genius to know you will lose market share to other options. Your plan won’t only fail to accomplish what you want it to do, it’s going to negatively affect the livelihoods of tons of good people that are working for your company."

EsfandTV's tweet, in response to the public address (Image via X) Enter caption Jacksepticeye

YouTuber Sean "Jacksepticeye" also chimed in with his thoughts, writing:

Jacksepticeye's comment, dated September 18, 2023 (Image via X)

Here are some more notable reactions:

Netizens sharing their thoughts (Image via X)

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Twitch star Matthew "Mizkif" discovered the news during a livestream on September 14, 2023. He was shocked to learn that developers initially had to pay for "all future reinstalls" of their game. In response, Mizkif claimed that he was "f**ked" because he was developing a game called Unrooted on the platform.