How Unity can have its cake and eat it (and how to respond to udk/crytek advances)

ok i was thinking of how UnityPro to bring the price down, make it more accessible and still have those who use it pay a reasonable amount.

One solution that I liked was breaking Unity Pro into platforms so instead of Unity Pro out of the box support multiple platforms each platform would be licensed separately!

so there would be

Windows PC Desktop (7/8)
Windows Store
Windows Phone
Windows Embedded (for like tablets)
Apple Mac Desktop (OSX)
Apple (iOS)
Web Player
Linux Desktop
Linux Embedded
Xbox 360/One
PS3/4
Android OS
Blackberry
ect...

and each would be priced like some amount for example if I wanted to create a game that ran on the Web Player I would need to license the Web Player platform and then if I wanted that game to also run on Windows standalone would need to go back and license the Windows Desktop for the standalone

so lets say the pricing per platform was $500 if i wanted my game to run on Windows Desktop, Apple Desktop, Linus Desktop it would be $1,500 if i then wanted my game to run on Web Player I would have to go pay another $500 for that platform and if I then wanted my game to run on XBOX and PS I would go back and have to pay $1000 more

so people who use it pay more. that means people who have a game they want to run all over the place will pay a lot more than someone who let say just releases a game for just IOS

they could not only control the price per platform but how often they make major releases. so there is no reason they could not switch from doing major releases every couple years to every year and basically have people paying the $500 per platform every couple years to every year. Windows and Apple are basically doing about the same. Instead of giant releasing every couple year have a smaller release every year with tiny releasing every quarter. Think Windows 8.0, 8.1, 8.2 and Windows 8 and Windows 9

so the thing to do is come up with different ways of packing what you have. At the end of the day Unity have to make money to make payroll and pay investors (if they have them), taxes, offices, ect. So it can't be free, but there is no reason Unity can't look at bundling what it has in different ways so that people who are making money using Unity pay for it and people who are not or who are not making so much money have an easier time getting in like they did with the Unity Asset Store that really helps people get in and so does Unity Free, but more and more I think Unity to try to expand the number of indie developers that can have access to Unity Pro and leave Unity Free to students, hobbyist, tiny indie, and bring Unity Pro to others by doing things like above.

Perhaps have a Steam version of Unity Pro royalty free where you could only have revenues on Steam $100K or less. You could work something out with Steam to verify it and have special price, or subscription for Steam. What about Steam PC/Linux/Mac only for $500 or $25/month. You could do maintenance releases for free and then every couple years when you go from unity 4-5 charge them another $500, well expect for subscription they keep paying $25.

Or if the math does not add up why not do $500 or $25/m per platform on Steam so it would be $500 for Steam PC, $250 for Steam OSX, $125 for Steam Linux. So you could base your pricing on demand per platform as well and encourage people to do additional platforms by giving better pricing...

I don't know I dont have access to what Unity business knows and I don't know what Unity needs to make it keep the party going, I'm a continent away from all the excitement, but surely there is more. Those business people, those executives over at Unity, those board members, need to keep pushing and coming up with more and more ways to get Unity Pro into peoples hands and not just respond to the competition, but to lead the charge and make Unreal / Crytek be the ones on the defensive scratching their heads thinking how are we going to respond to Unity. so earn pay don't just site on your laurels and have to always it seem be responding which is what Ive been seeing now for a month... (im always touch on executives cause they make the big bucks)

 

But many developers will want to publish to several platforms. In the end, a lot of people would end up having to buy mutliple licenses.

 

its just a push of a button. does not mean that a developer who wants to do multiple platforms would pay more

how hard is pushing some check box or going back an adding one more to the list u have license for

so u add to cart windows and 6 montsh later u add mac os... that is not hard

also unity could have unity complete which has it all for a nice discounted price

or unity triple play which will do windows desktop, apple desktop and linux desktop at discounted price

the thing is more flexibility. let people pay for what they use. isnt that what people want u use less u pay less..

so why have people doing just stema let say have unity pro with all those other platforms. that drives up the cost for things u dont need and dont want and wont use

have the cost reflect what u use

so mac people want it on mac they will have to pay for mac so some of price will go for the overal the development of common code used by all and some of the price will be for having it on mac...

same for linux and same for all platforms

but someone who doing windows should not be paying for linux/mac since they dont need that license... well until they do

so its not as much about paying less if u do need it or paying more

but paying for what u need when u need

that wya unity can do lower price on pro for people starting out on just one or a few platforms

and have the price eventually go up as they make sales an bring to more platforms

if u have successfull game u bring to lots of platforms as way to get more sales from different pieces of pie

anways its also for unity business/executive to gett off theit butts and lead the charge dont just sit back and respond to others leading the charge

go out there innovate new ways for making money to reflect the market changes

i mean i gave some ideas in this thread. i think others have more they can add, i think business should look at all possible ways and bring forth the best ways

at the end of the day things have to be paid for. so some may not work too well once u start looking at details of making it happen and plug it in to spreadsheet and model it.

but perhaps this way would work out to get untity pro in more hands at lower price. plus its always good to be trying new things. hey some will work unexpectedly and u then can find ways to make even more money... crytek sure trying and so is unreal it seams nowadays. we all know gaming market changing, bubble, plus cost of entry going down. its not like old days. so u have to change or become obsolete, slowly die. u have to be growing faster than the competition. ... u have to always be running,innovating, u just cant be repeating what worked and uve done for years.

 

Please post threads like this in one of the official designated suggestion threads such as:

http://forum.unity3d.com/threads/245901-Official-How-Can-We-Serve-You-Better

Which is where Unity will better be able to read your input.