The Unity game engine was launched in 2005, aiming to "democratize" game development by making it accessible to more developers.[6][9] It was shown atWorldwide Developers Conference 2005 byScott Forstall onMac OS X.[10] The next year, Unity was named runner-up in the Best Use of Mac OS X Graphics category inApple Inc.'s Apple Design Awards.[11] Unity was initially released for Mac OS X, later adding support for Microsoft Windows and Web browsers.[12]
Unity 2.0 launched in 2007 with approximately 50 new features. DirectX support was added in 2.0.[13] The release included an optimized terrain engine for detailed 3D environments, real-time dynamic shadows, directional lights and spotlights, video playback, and other features.[13] The release also added a version control system to allow developers to collaborate more easily.[13] It included a Networking Layer for developers to create multiplayer games based on theUser Datagram Protocol, offeringNetwork Address Translation, State Synchronization, andRemote Procedure Calls.[13] When Apple launched itsApp Store in 2008, Unity added support for theiPhone.[12] Unity 2.5, released in March 2009, added editor support forWindows.[14]
Unity 3.0 launched in September 2010 with features expanding the engine's graphics features for desktop computers and video game consoles.[15] In addition to Android support, Unity 3 featured integration of Illuminate Labs' Beast Lightmap tool, deferred rendering, a built-in tree editor, native font rendering, automaticUV mapping, and audio filters, among other features.[15] In 2012,VentureBeat wrote, "Few companies have contributed as much to the flowing of independently produced games as Unity Technologies. [...] More than 1.3 million developers are using its tools to create gee-whiz graphics in their iOS, Android, console, PC, and web-based games. Unity wants to be the engine for multi-platform games, period."[16] A May 2012 survey byGame Developer magazine indicated Unity as its top game engine for mobile platforms.[17]
In November 2012, Unity Technologies delivered Unity 4.0.[18] This version added DirectX 11 andAdobe Flash support, new animation tools called Mecanim, and access to the Linux preview.[18]
Facebook integrated asoftware development kit for games using the Unity game engine in 2013.[19] This featured tools that allowed tracking advertising campaigns and deep linking, where users were directly linked from social media posts to specific portions within games, and easy in-game-image sharing.[19] In 2016, Facebook developed a new PC gaming platform with Unity.[20] Unity provided support for Facebook's gaming platforms, and Unity developers could more quickly export and publish games to Facebook.[20]
The Verge said of 2015's Unity 5 release: "Unity started with the goal of making game development universally accessible. [...] Unity 5 is a long-awaited step towards that future."[21] With Unity 5, the engine improved its lighting and audio.[22] ThroughWebGL, Unity developers could add their games to compatible Web browsers with no plug-ins required for players.[22] Unity 5.0 offered real-time global illumination, light mapping previews, Unity Cloud, a new audio system, and the Nvidia PhysX 3.3 physics engine.[22] The fifth generation of the Unity engine also introduced Cinematic Image Effects to help make Unity games look less generic.[23] Unity began offering an experimental and unsupportedLinux editor build in August 2015.[24] Unity 5.6 added new lighting and particle effects, updated the engine's overall performance, and added native support forNintendo Switch, Facebook Gameroom,Google Daydream, and theVulkan graphics API.[25] It introduced a 4K video player capable of running 360-degree videos for virtual reality.[25]
However, some gamers criticized Unity's accessibility due to the high volume of quickly produced games published on the Steam distribution platform by inexperienced developers.[26] Former CEOJohn Riccitiello said in an interview that he believes this to be a side-effect of Unity's success in democratizing game development: "If I had my way, I'd like to see 50 million people using Unity – although I don't think we're going to get there any time soon. I'd like to see high school and college kids using it, people outside the core industry. I think it's sad that most people are consumers of technology and not creators. The world's a better place when people know how to create, not just consume, and that's what we're trying to promote."[27]
In December 2016, Unity Technologies announced that they would change theversion numbering system for Unity fromsequence-based identifiers toyear of release to align the versioning with their more frequent release cadence; Unity 5.6 was therefore followed by Unity 2017.[28] Unity 2017 tools featured a real-time graphics rendering engine, color grading and worldbuilding, live operations analytics, and performance reporting.[29] Unity 2017.2 underscored Unity Technologies' plans beyond video games.[29] This included new tools such as Timeline, which allowed developers to drag-and-drop animations into games, and Cinemachine, a smart camera system within games.[29] Unity 2017.2 also integratedAutodesk's 3DS Max and Maya tools into the Unity engine for a streamlined asset-sharing in-game iteration process.[30]
Unity 2018 featured the Scriptable Render Pipeline for developers to create high-end graphics.[31] This included the High-Definition Rendering Pipeline for console and PC experiences, and the Lightweight Rendering Pipeline (later renamed the Universal Render Pipeline[32]) for mobile, virtual reality, and augmented reality.[31] Unity 2018 also includedmachine learning tools, such as Imitation Learning, whereby games learn from real player habits, support for Magic Leap, and templates for new developers.[31]
Unity Hub,[33] introduced in 2018, streamlines project and engine version management.[34] It replaces manual version switching, centralizing installations, project creation, and licenses.
The C#source code of Unity was published under a "reference-only" license in March 2018, which prohibits reuse and modification.[35] As of 2020, software built with Unity's game engine was running on more than 1.5 billion devices. According to Unity, apps made with their game engine account for 50 percent of all mobile games and are downloaded more than 3 billion times per month, and approximately 15,000 new projects are started daily with its software.[36][37] TheFinancial Times reported that Unity's engine "powers some of the world's most lucrative mobile games", such asPokémon Go andActivision'sCall of Duty Mobile.[38]
In June 2020, Unity introduced the Mixed and Augmented Reality Studio (MARS), which provides developers with additional functionality for the rules-based generation of augmented reality (AR) applications.[39] Unity released Unity Forma, an automotive and retail solution tool, on December 9, 2020.[40] In June 2020, Unity announced that Unity Editor will supportApple Silicon. The first beta version shipped later that year.[41][42]
Unity 2021 brought multiple new features such as Bolt, Unity's Visual Scripting system, a new multiplayer library to support multiplayer games, improved Il2cpp runtime performance, and Volumetric clouds for the High Definition Render pipeline.[43] Shadow caching and Screen Space Global Illumination for HDRP.[44] For the Universal Render Pipeline, it added new features such as point light shadows, Deferred renderer, and general core engine improvements and fixes.[45][46] Full Apple Silicon support was also added in Unity 2021.2. Unity Hub support for Apple Silicon editors arrived in version 3.0 in January 2022.[47]
Changes to Unity 2022 were intended to improve productivity by reducing the time required to enter play mode and import files and implementing visual search queries and multi-selection in the package manager.[48] For 2D projects, changes focused on accelerating core software, import, animation, and physics. Sprite atlasing was revised. Support forPSD extension files and layer management were added to the 2D PSD Importer, andDelaunay tessellation for 2D physics was added.[48]
On November 16, 2023, Unity announced that the next version of the engine would be called Unity 6, reverting to the previous version numbering convention. Unity 6 launched on October 17, 2024, with new features including newgenerative AI tools, called Unity Muse and Unity Sentis.[49][50] The release introduced new workflows for creating online multiplayer content, performance enhancements for web projects, and improved graphic rendering.[51]
Unity also announced plans for a revised licensing agreement, including a runtime fee (see§ Runtime fee controversy).[52] In response to backlash, Unity canceled this runtime fee in September 2024.[53]
Unity gives users the ability to create games and experiences in both2D and3D, and the engine offers a primary scripting API inC# usingMono, for both the Unity editor in the form of plugins, and games themselves, as well asdrag and drop functionality.[54] Prior to C# being the primary programming language used for the engine, it previously supportedBoo, which was removed with the release of Unity 5,[55] and a Boo-based implementation ofJavaScript calledUnityScript, which was deprecated in August 2017, after the release of Unity 2017.1, in favor of C#.[56][57]
Within 2D games, Unity allows importation of sprites and an advanced 2D world renderer. For 3D games, Unity allows specification oftexture compression,mipmaps, and resolution settings for each platform that the game engine supports,[58] and provides support forbump mapping,reflection mapping,parallax mapping,screen space ambient occlusion (SSAO), dynamic shadows usingshadow maps,render-to-texture and full-screen post-processing effects.[59] Two separaterender pipelines are available,High Definition Render Pipeline (HDRP) andUniversal Render Pipeline (URP, previously LWRP), in addition to the legacy built-in pipeline.[60][61] All three render pipelines are incompatible with each other.[62] Unity offers a tool to upgrade shaders using the legacy renderer to URP or HDRP.
Creators can develop and sell user-generated assets to other game makers via the Unity Asset Store. This includes 3D and 2D assets and environments for developers to buy and sell.[63] Unity Asset Store launched in 2010. By 2018, there had been approximately 40 million downloads through the digital store.[64]
Unity is a cross-platform engine.[65] The Unity editor is supported onWindows,macOS, and theLinux platform, while the engine itself currently supports building games for more than 19 different platforms, including mobile, desktop, consoles, and virtual reality.[66][67]Unity 2022.3 LTS officially supports the following platforms:[68]
In August 2023, Unity China announced that it would soon launch a Chinese edition calledTuanjie Engine (Chinese:团结引擎;pinyin:Tuánjié Yǐnqíng) based on Unity 2022 LTS, which includes support for Chinese platforms likeWeixin Mini Game,OpenHarmony andAliOS.[98]
During its first ten years as a product, the paid versions of Unity were sold outright; in 2016, the corporation changed to a subscription model.[93] Unity has free and paid licensing options. The free license is for personal use or smaller companies generating less than $100,000 annually, later raised to $200,000, and the subscriptions are based on revenues generated by the games using Unity.[99][67] The subscription-based versions also include additional features geared towards professional projects, including analytics, performance analysis and error reporting, andCloud Build among others.[100]
The paid option, Unity Pro, had been required for developers that had over $200,000 in annual revenue, but this also could have been provided for console developers through a Preferred Platform License from the console manufacturer. The Unity Pro keys would have been part of the other SDK from the console manufacturer that the developer paid for. In May 2016, Unity released "Unity Plus", a mid-range tier between Personal and Pro that provides tools and benefits oriented towards "first-time commercial developers".[101]
In June 2021, Unity changed its licensing terms to require any developer making games on the closed console systems (PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox) regardless of revenue to have a Unity Pro license or a Preferred Platform License Key from the manufacturers. Sony and Nintendo provide this as part of the SDK, but Microsoft had yet to implement this functionality for their SDK.[102] The engine source code is licensed on a "per-case basis via special arrangements".[103]
On September 12, 2023, Unity announced that use of the engine would become subject toroyalties (referred to as a "runtime fee") beginning in January 2024, calculated per-installation and charged monthly, if the product reaches specific revenue and lifetime installation thresholds. Unity states that monetizing the runtime in this manner is required to "allow creators to keep theongoing financial gains from player engagement."[104][105]
The new terms faced criticism from game developers who had been using Unity for years, particularly regarding how this fee would be calculated and enforced, and the implications fordemos,freemium games and bundles distributed for charitable causes.[106][107][108] The change was considered to be contradictory to statements made by former CEO John Riccitiello in 2015 when Unity originally announced its shift to free and subscription-based models, stating that all users would "get the full power of Unity for free", and that there would not be royalties (in contrast toUnreal Engine, which had recently switched to free distribution but with royalties paid above a specific revenue threshold).[109][100]
Unity then issued a statement clarifying the definition of a chargeable "installation", and announced that the fee would not apply to charity games or bundles.[110][111] Many indie developers, includingAmong Us developer Innersloth[112] andSlay the Spire developer Mega Crit, announced that they would switch to other engines for future games, specifically theGodot engine forSlay the Spire 2.[113][114]
An analysis byArs Technica found that several older versions of Unity'sterms of service would allow developers to continue to release their software without having to pay the new fee, as long as they did not update their project after the January 1, 2024 date.[109]Ars Technica also discovered that Unity had apparently removed aGitHub repository that permitted developers to track changes in Unity's terms of service;[109] Mega Crit accused Unity of having done so to apply their new financial model to games retroactively.[115][116] An analysis byGame Developer came to the conclusion that the changes were intended to encourage games with large install bases such asGenshin Impact,Subway Surfers andHearthstone to migrate to Unity services in order to get a fee reduction. The article noted that the Operate Solutions division, handling in-app-purchase services for example, was far more profitable than the Create division, and added that "The many indie developers who will be left by the roadside are completely incidental to Unity's goals, and are not going to be a significant factor in its future decision making."[117]Gameindustry.biz described the move as "self-combustion" and identified the changes as an example ofenshittification.[118]
In response to this negative feedback, Unity Technologies introduced revised runtime fee terms on September 22, 2023. These included removing any fees for uses of Unity Personal for projects funded up to $200,000 (an increase from the previous $100,000 threshold), fees would only apply to games developed with Unity 2024 and beyond without any retroactive fees, and the fee would be based on the lesser of 2.5% of monthly revenue or a calculated value based on monthly engagements, both which rely only on self-reporting of these numbers.[119][120] Unity Technologies faced a 60% decline in stock price over the year to May 2024, partially attributed to the runtime fee policy.[121] Usage of Unity waned after these licensing decisions within the indie game community. The use of Unity at the 2023Global Game Jam was 61%; this declined to 36% for 2024. A similar decline was recorded by theGMTK Game Jam.[122][123]
CEO Matthew Bromberg announced in September 2024 that the company was discontinuing the runtime fee model of licensing, and instead would annually increase the price of existing plans.[53]
As of 2018[update], Unity had been used to create approximately half of the mobile games on the market and 60 percent of augmented reality and virtual reality content,[126] including approximately 90 percent on emerging augmented reality platforms, such asMicrosoft HoloLens, and 90 percent of Samsung Gear VR content.[99] Unity technology is the basis for most virtual reality and augmented reality experiences, andFortune said Unity "dominates the virtual reality business".[127][128][129]
Unity allows researchers in the field ofdeep reinforcement learning to train agents inside Unity-created environments.[130] Unity Machine Learning Agents can act as virtual characters or robots to learn creative strategies to interact with simulated real-world environments.[130] The software is used, for example, to develop robots and self-driving cars.[130][131]
In the 2010s, Unity Technologies used its game engine to transition into other industries using the real-time 3D platform, including film and automotive.[132][133] Unity first experimented in filmmaking withAdam, a short film about a robot escaping from prison. Later, Unity partnered with filmmakerNeill Blomkamp, whoseOats Studios used the engine's tools, including real-time rendering and Cinemachine, to create two computer-generated short films,Adam: The Mirror andAdam: The Prophet.[132] At the 2017 Unite Europe conference in Amsterdam, Unity focused on filmmaking with Unity 2017.1's new Cinemachine tool.[63] In 2018, Disney Television Animation launched three shorts, called Baymax Dreams, that were created using the Unity engine.[134] The Unity engine was also used by Disney to create backgrounds for the 2019 filmThe Lion King.[135] Automakers use Unity's technology to create full-scale models of new vehicles in virtual reality, build virtual assembly lines, and train workers.[133] Unity is also developing solutions in the fields of architecture, engineering, and construction.[136]
Unity's engine is used byDeepMind, anAlphabet company, to train artificial intelligence.[131] Other uses being pursued by Unity Technologies include architecture, engineering, and construction.[136]
On December 16, 2013, Unity Technologies Japan revealed an officialmascot character named Unity-chan (ユニティちゃん,Yuniti-chan), real name Kohaku Ōtori (大鳥 こはく,Ōtori Kohaku) (voiced byAsuka Kakumoto [ja;zh]). The character's associated game data was released in early 2014.[137][138] The character was designed by Unity Technologies Japan designer "ntny" as an open-source heroine character.[139] The company allows the use of Unity-chan and related characters in secondary projects under certain licenses.[140] For example, Unity-chan appears as a playable character inRunbow.[141]
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^Echterhoff, Jonas (October 8, 2015)."Unity Web Player Roadmap".Unity Technologies Blog.Archived from the original on April 25, 2016. RetrievedApril 18, 2016.
^Unity 引擎中国版“团结引擎”正式发布 [Chinese edition of Unity Engine 'Tuanjie Engine' officially announced].PingWest. August 23, 2023.Archived from the original on April 22, 2024. RetrievedSeptember 17, 2023.
^"'Unity'開発者向けに無償利用可能なキャラクター'ユニティちゃん'が来春デビュー！" [The character 'Unity-chan' that can be used free of charge for 'Unity' developers will debut next spring!].Famitsu (in Japanese). December 16, 2013.Archived from the original on June 30, 2016. RetrievedJune 22, 2016.
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