Terraria Developer Takes a Stand: $200,000 Donation to Open Source Alternatives

Politics, News Sept. 20, 2023, 11:01 p.m.

In response to controversial fee changes in the Unity game engine, Terraria developer Re-Logic plans to donate $100,000 each to open-source alternatives Godot Engine and FNA, with ongoing monthly support.

In response to the contentious alterations in fees associated with the Unity game engine, Re-Logic, the developer behind the beloved game Terraria, has announced its intent to take a principled stand. The company plans to make substantial donations of $100,000 each to two open-source game engine alternatives, with ongoing monthly contributions.

Re-Logic articulated its perspective via a statement posted on Twitter, expressing a mixture of concern and disappointment regarding recent developments within the Unity ecosystem. They lamented the transformation of Unity, once regarded as a leading and user-friendly game engine, into a tool that appears to align with the more questionable aspects of the gaming industry. While Re-Logic does not actively use Unity (except for a few components on specific platforms), they believe it is their duty to respond to what they perceive as predatory actions targeting studios across the industry.

The statement from Re-Logic goes beyond mere disappointment and explicitly condemns Unity's recent actions. More importantly, it outlines the company's commitment to support alternative game engines. Specifically, Re-Logic intends to donate $100,000 each to the open-source Godot Engine and FNA, and they plan to continue contributing $1,000 monthly to both projects indefinitely. With Terraria having achieved remarkable success as an indie game, the developers have the financial means to make these substantial contributions.

For those unfamiliar with the Unity controversy, Unity is a widely used game engine that underpins many games, including popular titles like Pokémon Go and Slay the Spire. The controversy erupted when Unity proposed changes that would require developers to pay fees each time a game was installed. This sparked a swift and vociferous backlash from the gaming community. While Unity has announced intentions to revise its policies, the specifics of those changes remain undisclosed.

Re-Logic's statement is unequivocal in its rejection of Unity's recent Terms of Service and fee adjustments, characterizing them as underhanded and damaging to the trust built over years. The studio is particularly disheartened by the perceived disregard for publishers, studios, and gamers in Unity's approach. They view Unity's actions as unnecessary and tragic, setting a cautionary precedent within the industry.

Unity's fee changes have already had tangible repercussions, forcing one studio to abandon its free-to-play plans mere days before a game's scheduled launch.