this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ca/post/5555641

archive.org

Developers of indie puzzle game Orgynizer have claimed that Unity said organisations like Planned Parenthood are "not valid charities" and are instead "political groups."

In a blog post, the EU-based developer LizardFactory said the plans to charge developers up to $0.20 per install if they reach certain thresholds would cost them "around 30% of the funds we have gathered and already sent to charity."

As Unity clarified the runtime fee will not apply to charity games, LizardFactory reached out to the company to clarify their game would be exempt from the plan.

However, Unity reportedly said their partners were not "valid charities" and were viewed as "political groups."

Profits made from the game go directly to non-profit organisation Planned Parenthood and C.S. Mott Children's Hospital, Michigan.

"We did this to raise money for a good cause, not to line the coffers of greedy scumbags," the developers wrote in a blog post. "We have been solid Unity fanboys for over ten years, but the trust is scattered all over the floor."

The developers are considering a move to open-source game engine Godot, "but we will have to recode our entire game because we refuse to give you a dime," they wrote. "This is a mafia-style shakedown, nothing more, nothing less."

Today, Unity responded to the ongoing backlash and apologised, acknowledging the "confusion and angst" surrounding the runtime fee policy.

The company has promised that changes to the policy will be shared in "a couple of days."

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[–] adespoton@lemmy.ca 201 points 1 year ago (5 children)

“Charity” should be a question answered by “do they have a registered charity number?”

What’s considered a charity will differ country by country.

[–] Mateoto@lemmy.world 90 points 1 year ago

Only valid answer. If there's a valid document stating charity status, no other discussion is needed.

[–] jmcs@discuss.tchncs.de 43 points 1 year ago

That would require them to care enough to figure out how to verify if something is a registered charity and what they are called in each country. Some countries don't even have the concept of registered charity in any form.

[–] HughJanus@lemmy.ml 22 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

Planned Parenthood is a US institution, and a registered 501c3 non-profit charity, as defined by the IRS.

Though I can't blame anyone for not wanting to dip their toes into the absolute shitstorm that is modern partisan politics in the US.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 25 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Sure, and you do that by looking up the tax status. As long as it's considered a non-profit by the government, that's it. That's as non-political as you can get.

[–] HughJanus@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 year ago (5 children)

That's as non-political as you can get.

Well you simply couldn't be more wrong about that. The NFL was a charity not too long ago. I'm sure there are Christian conversion therapy "charities", too. "Charity" is nothing more than a tax status. You can make a charity for anything, so long as you keep your finances appropriately.

I assume the NFL is/was a 501c6 tax exempt organization since it calls out football leagues specifically.

You'd be looking for 501c3 organizations which does include churches and other dubious religious affiliated organizations but not all federal non-profits.

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[–] lobut@lemmy.ca 140 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

Right wing groups in the US made Planned Parenthood a political issue. It doesn't make it a political organization.

I feel sorry for Unity because I want them to be profitable and all that. However, they have a greedy prick for a CEO and one of the dumbest change rollouts I've seen (Twitter has been crazy bad lately too) at this scale. It wipes away any empathy for them and makes you yearn for their collapse.

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I feel sorry for the employees, but ultimately the company chose the CEO it's not like he turned up and forced himself on them or anything. They were really pleased when they announced him as well, as if he was going to be some kind of asset.

It's the investors fault for having no business savvy. Sod em.

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[–] Jaysyn@kbin.social 124 points 1 year ago (4 children)

Devs may as well bite the bullet & switch engines mid development now, because I'm not buying any new games made in Unity.

[–] OrkneyKomodo@lemmy.sdf.org 31 points 1 year ago

Yup. I'm not either.

[–] massive_bereavement@kbin.social 23 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

This (Unity change not your statement) will be a shank at the back of most indie devs.

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[–] HughJanus@lemmy.ml 14 points 1 year ago (1 children)

The list of games I can't buy is too damn long. Like anything else in the modern age you're forced to support unethical business practices or withdraw from the industry altogether (if you even can).

Can buy games from EA or Activision/Blizzard/Microsoft/Xbox or Ubisoft, or anything made with Unity, or anything with Denuvo, or anything with anti-cheat, or anything that's online-only. Did I leave anything out?

Steam Deck + boring indie games is what we're left with until gamers get together and collectively stop supporting the atrocity that is modern gaming.

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[–] Ertebolle@kbin.social 89 points 1 year ago (4 children)

So we're currently at the 'apology that actually makes things worse' phase, which means just a few more days until 'unconditional surrender but even so nobody will ever trust you again'

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[–] northendtrooper@lemmy.ca 75 points 1 year ago (1 children)

This is their downfall hiring that CEO and the leadership should be ashamed. I feel sorry for the employees who had no say in this and are being affected by their myopic choices.

[–] sugar_in_your_tea@sh.itjust.works 29 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I wish someone would put up a huge donation to Godot and offer to hire a number of these engine devs. I'm sure there's a ton of talented devs who would be willing to take a pay cut to work on a more open alternative.

[–] FaeDrifter@midwest.social 17 points 1 year ago (1 children)

A bunch of people contributing a little bit each month would also be huge:

https://www.patreon.com/godotengine

  • I'm not associated with the dev team, but I use Godot for my projects and send back some money voluntarily
[–] ram@lemmy.ca 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Please use the Godot Development Fund so more of your contribution goes to Godot.

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[–] JokeDeity@lemm.ee 66 points 1 year ago

Well as if it wasn't already obvious they were headed by conservatives...

[–] Blackdoomax@sh.itjust.works 58 points 1 year ago (3 children)

They really want to kill themselves.

[–] ram@lemmy.ca 21 points 1 year ago
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[–] Lojcs@lemm.ee 51 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Starting to think unity doesn't have a pr team

[–] drwho@beehaw.org 24 points 1 year ago

I think this is their PR team.

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[–] Vlhacs@reddthat.com 45 points 1 year ago (2 children)

Calling PP a political org is too obtuse a message to view this response as a simple mistake or miscommunication. Unity is apparently run by conservative hacks and I hope they collapse.

[–] KillAllPoorPeople@lemmy.world 17 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (2 children)

This isn't generic conservatism. Many Americans, who are conservative, support abortion rights. Unity seems to be in bed with far right political Christianity.

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[–] HawlSera@lemm.ee 45 points 1 year ago (1 children)

It's like he heard that there was no such thing as bad publicity and took that is literally as he possibly could

[–] echodot@feddit.uk 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

He worked for EA. He has no idea how the industry works.

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[–] sturmblast@lemmy.world 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Unity is working on hanging itself

[–] GissaMittJobb@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago

Bankruptcy any%

[–] FISHNETS@lemmy.blahaj.zone 36 points 1 year ago (2 children)

I can understand Planned Parenthood maybe, heavily disagree, but whatever.

But a children's hospital? How could that ever be classed as a "political group"?

What a joke.

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[–] Hiccup@lemmy.dbzer0.com 36 points 1 year ago (2 children)

The unity CEO is an arsonist as he's set ablaze the whole company. Guy should be investigated for fraud and malfeasance.

[–] kameecoding@lemmy.world 19 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (3 children)

he is challenging Elon Musk to a fuck (up) off. who can burn a company to the ground faster.

I think the Unity CEO is winning, but hard to tell, because next to Twitter, Musk is also fucking with Tesla and SpaceX

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[–] uriel238@lemmy.blahaj.zone 30 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

By responding with judgment (e.g. your charitable donations are invalid ) Unity is showing how other devs can expect to be treated when they try to negotiate with Unity on a case-by-case basis.

This shows Unity is looking for bad faith reasons by which to justify rejecting exceptions to the fees. It's a bad idea to expect exception to the new fees, even in the face of bankruptcy.

[–] OhStopYellingAtMe@lemmy.world 24 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Well I’m not going to buy any more Unity games, and I’m going to uninstall any Unity games I have. Fuck those guys.

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[–] cobra89@beehaw.org 23 points 1 year ago

Lol could Unity have bungled this any harder??

[–] KingThrillgore@lemmy.ml 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)
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[–] NigelFrobisher@aussie.zone 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

But they don’t want to cure cancer - they want to turn people into dinosaurs!

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[–] Thann@lemmy.ml 17 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Idk why anyone trusts peddlers of proprietary bullshit

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[–] NocturnalMorning@lemmy.world 16 points 1 year ago

As if I needed another reason not to use Unity.

[–] moosetwin@lemmy.dbzer0.com 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)

planned parenthood is political yadda yadda yadda, but a children's hospital?

[–] hypelightfly@kbin.social 31 points 1 year ago (2 children)

It's a registered 501c3. Whatever anybody's opinions, it's a legal charity.

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[–] Thann@lemmy.ml 30 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Planned parenthood shouldn't be political. In a few years drinking water well be seen as a policial statement against brawndo

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[–] some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org 18 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Seriously. I could see some right-wing shithead complaining about "evil" abortions, but who doesn't wanna save the lives of post-pregnancy children? Oh, that's right. Right-wing shitheads. As always.

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