I believe it. Several outlets have reported on something similar years ago. Some say it's the very reason Netflix hardly wants a series to go past season 3: the cost of a series commission goes up after season 2 and even more after season 3. Disney is circumventing this by making the show a new commission -- which is cheaper -- per rebranding.
Thankfully, this is a very unlikely scenario as stated in the article. But, if it ever happens, the console gaming industry's future will be dim. I hope younger gamers reject mass consolidation: a trillion dollar company or a multi-billion dollar one buying another multi-billion dollar company should not be celebrated.
Unity cannot defend themselves here. Their tiered plan was already generating more than enough passive revenue for Unity Technologies. There was no need to change this monetary scheme, especially to something this aggressive. But, my speculation here is that ever since they went IPO in 2020 and made some questionable acquisitions, they now need to appease the shareholders and refill their coffers. As a result, Unity has become the very corporate bully that they have constantly complained about.
It is also worth questioning: how is Unity tracking installation? That seems to indicate there is an online authentication / token being sent when a user installs a software that was developed using the Unity engine. Does that mean they track MAC addresses and store them? This is not a good look.
@angrycreep: Oh, I plan to buy Starfield when it launches on Tuesday evening. I tend to still buy games on top of my wishlist regardless if the reviews are 7s, 8s, or 9s. Besides, sci-fi and space exploration games are my jam.
Excellent and fair review, Michael. I plan to pick this up next week. I will say Starfield is one of those games I am super excited to play, but had to temper my expectations because of Bethesda's history of broken launches. I'm glad the technical issues are not so offensive. It's unfortunate that the flaws are embedded in Bethesda's game design template though.
@Utnayan: I agree. And, they better wake up sooner than later. A series of these poor decisions -- while they appear minor to Jim Ryan and some shareholders -- can undo a brand for years.
A +33% price increase for the basic Essential level is ultra aggressive. This is a lot more than the recent Xbox Game Pass price hike. Considering most non-F2P multiplayer games require the Essential plan to play with friends and Sony has not augmented any additional benefits to this tier, asking players to pay a lot more is not a good look.
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