Game development is an arduous endeavor, and everyone who’s been in the area knows it. Thankfully, engines like Unity allow for games to be created using its highly flexible and well documented framework, enabling game developers to create incredible experiences without having to program the nitty-gritty of a game, such as the physics engine and the audio system.
Newer game creators, however, might feel lost regarding Unity licenses and the monetization of their game. If you fit the aforementioned description, this post is for you!
In this article, we’ll talk about whether you can sell games made with Unity, whether you need to pay royalties and give you an overview on Unity’s many licenses. We will also recommend some gaming stores for you to publish your games on – and potentially make heaps of money!
Can I make commercial games with Unity personal (free) edition?
Absolutely! However, this only applies as long as you meet the requirements to use Unity Personal Edition. There are two scenarios for this:
If you are an indie (short for “independent”) developer, the revenue earned is based on your revenue made from using Unity in the most recent 12 month period. This includes money earned through the implementation of Unity Ads in your games, online funding and sales from your published games. So long as this value doesn’t exceed $100,000 USD, you won’t be required to upgrade your license.
If you work for a company (either as an employee or as a freelance worker), the $100,000 cap applies to the entire company for which you are providing your work. This, once again, includes every source of income that was made from using Unity.
Do I have to pay royalties for a game made with Unity?
No! Under no circumstances, Unity will charge any additional fees other than licensing costs. They will not require you to pay royalties or revenue share even if your game was made with the Personal (Free) Edition of the Unity game engine.
What if I make more than $100,000 with a Unity game?
This is a common question among newcomers to the game development area. If your game generates over $100,000 in the past 12 months, then you will be required to switch to the Plus license, which adds some features to your engine and costs $400 a year (or $40 per month) per seat.
This means that, if you’re managing a company with 5 employees that has over $100,000 (but less than $200,000) in funding plus revenue combined, you will have to spend $2,000 a year to be able to use Unity. On the other hand, if you’re an indie developer, you will only have to pay for your seat, totaling $400 every 12 months.
What if I make more than $200,000 with a Unity game?
If your game has generated more than $200,000 in the most recent 12 month period, then you will be required to upgrade your license from Plus to Pro, which eliminates the revenue and funding cap and adds even more features to the Unity game engine. It costs $1,800 per year (or $150 per month) per seat.
The Pro license is designed for professional individuals and teams who need complete flexibility for creating games and Pro users have access to a customer success team to help you find resources to keep you working on your projects.
What features do Unity licenses have?
The Personal (Free Version) license gives you access to the core Unity real-time development platform and Bolt visual scripting plugin, which is available for download from the Asset Store and allows you to create logic for games and applications without having to write code in C#. It also gives you access to Unity Ads, In-App Purchases (IAPs) and lets you pick 1 integration with collaboration tools.
The Unity Plus license allows you to customize the splash screen, adds integration with collaboration tools (such as Discord, Slack and Jira) and gives you advanced cloud diagnostics.
The Unity Pro license gives you all the above and allows you to build and deploy games to closed platforms, such as Nintendo, PlayStation and Xbox. It gives you priority access to Unity success advisors and a priority queue for customer service as well. Some other features, like source code access and technical support, may be bought separately.
For more detailed information on the features contained within each one of these license plans, make sure to give Unity’s plan comparison page a read.
How do I build a Unity game?
Once you have finished your game, you will have to build it in order to publish it on the many stores. To do so, go to File > Build Settings, use the Scenes in Build panel to manage which scenes Unity will include in your build, select the correct Platform, adjust specific settings, press either Build or Build and Run and, finally, type a name and select your build’s save location to begin the process.
Where can I sell games made with Unity?
With the popularization of desktop and mobile devices, some companies have created stores for app and game makers. Some of the best ones for indie developers include GameJolt, Itch.io and Steam for desktop games and Google Play Store and Apple App Store for mobile titles. Take note that some of those will require you to pay additional fees to publish your game.
Wrapping It all up
Now that you know that you can sell your games developed in Unity and the difference between Unity’s many licenses, what about creating them?
Even though Unity is the most beginner-friendly game engine on the market, creating a fantastic game is, by no means, an easy task. It takes a lot of commitment and requires you to be well-versed in multiple areas, such as C# programming, game design, asset creation, animation, level design, user experience and many others.
For this reason, if you want to make your own high quality video game, but don’t have the time to create the experience of your dreams, consider hiring a game developer or even an entire studio to take on the challenge for you.
MainLeaf is a game studio that specializes in bringing life to your game ideas with excellence and passion, creating games on-demand for customers across the globe.
Do you have an idea for a game, but don’t want to get your hands dirty? Go to the top of this page and request a game quote today! We will get back to you as soon as we can.
