this post was submitted on 18 Sep 2023
821 points (97.6% liked)

Technology

34832 readers
15 users here now

This is the official technology community of Lemmy.ml for all news related to creation and use of technology, and to facilitate civil, meaningful discussion around it.


Ask in DM before posting product reviews or ads. All such posts otherwise are subject to removal.


Rules:

1: All Lemmy rules apply

2: Do not post low effort posts

3: NEVER post naziped*gore stuff

4: Always post article URLs or their archived version URLs as sources, NOT screenshots. Help the blind users.

5: personal rants of Big Tech CEOs like Elon Musk are unwelcome (does not include posts about their companies affecting wide range of people)

6: no advertisement posts unless verified as legitimate and non-exploitative/non-consumerist

7: crypto related posts, unless essential, are disallowed

founded 5 years ago
MODERATORS
 

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."

top 50 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 202 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.

[–] [email protected] 90 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 44 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

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.

load more comments (4 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 141 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 125 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.

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago

Yup. I'm not either.

[–] [email protected] 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.

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 15 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 90 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'

load more comments (4 replies)
[–] [email protected] 74 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 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
[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (1 children)

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

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 65 points 1 year ago

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

[–] [email protected] 58 points 1 year ago (3 children)

They really want to kill themselves.

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago
load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 51 points 1 year ago (3 children)

Starting to think unity doesn't have a pr team

[–] [email protected] 24 points 1 year ago

I think this is their PR team.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

load more comments (2 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 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

[–] [email protected] 32 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 42 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Unity is working on hanging itself

[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago

Bankruptcy any%

[–] [email protected] 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.

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 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

load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 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.

[–] [email protected] 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 23 points 1 year ago

Lol could Unity have bungled this any harder??

[–] [email protected] 21 points 1 year ago (1 children)
load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 20 points 1 year ago (3 children)

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

load more comments (3 replies)
[–] [email protected] 17 points 1 year ago (10 children)

Idk why anyone trusts peddlers of proprietary bullshit

load more comments (10 replies)
[–] [email protected] 16 points 1 year ago

As if I needed another reason not to use Unity.

[–] [email protected] 14 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (6 children)

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

[–] [email protected] 31 points 1 year ago (2 children)

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

load more comments (2 replies)
[–] [email protected] 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

load more comments (1 replies)
[–] [email protected] 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.

load more comments (1 replies)
load more comments (3 replies)
load more comments
view more: next ›