The issue isn't that Unity wants to be paid.

The issue is that they are trying to retroactively change a license agreement, and doing so in a way that will bankrupt many of their current users.

Charging per install is absolutely insane, and will absolutely be the end of many publishers. Even successful games like Cult of the Lamb are being culled because of this.

Am i crazy? https://twitter.com/unity/status/1701650081403842851 In the original tweet they write: "We want to be clear that the counter for Unity Runtime fee installs starts on January 1, 2024 - it is not retroactive or perpetual. We will charge once for a new install; not an ongoing perpetual license royalty, like revenue share."

The main controversy is that they seem to intend to apply this to any new installs of any Unity game still available on the market as of 1/1/2024, including any that were already developed and released under different Terms of Service.

It even seems to include, for example, any reinstalls I might do of Cult of the Lamb, which I purchased months ago when it launched. That’s why Massive Monster’s response was to announce they’re delisting CotL to cap costs (and as a protest, of course).

All this says is that they won’t use historical telemetry data to retroactively bill you, and that every user install will only be charged for once.

I would recommend reading more on this topic. The price change is but one of many factors leading to the outrage.

No one, anywhere, on any thread, is against Unity charging more. Many of us are already paying Unity a significant sum.

Imagine thinking this is a fair assessment of the situation.