Terraria developer Re-Logic donates to open source engines following Unity’s policy announcement

After Unity announced that it will charge developers an installation fee, Re-Logic, the studio behind the 2D sandbox title Terraria, has donated $100,000 to two open source game engines.

The details:

• In a new statement posted to X, the developer stated that it "cannot sit idly by as these predatory moves are made against studios everywhere," and that it will donate $100,000 to Godot and FNA, as well as continue to sponsor both with an additional $1,000 each month. Re-Logic also stated that the only thing it asks in exchange for the donations is that the engines' creators “remain good people and keep doing all that they can to make these engines powerful and approachable for developers everywhere.”
• Although Re-Logic does not use Unity outside of a "few elements" for Terraria in its console and mobile ports, the company has called out Unity for its "destruction of trust" after years of offering one of gaming's biggest engines alongside Epic's Unreal Engine. The studio stated that it does not believe a "simple public statement is sufficient" and that its donations to the open source development scene will assist small indies in the current situation.
• Unity announced last week that it plans to implement a "Unity Runtime Fee" in 2024, in which developers will be required to pay a fee of up to $0.20 every time a user installs their game. The policy was met with a massive wave of criticism, prompting the company to respond that only first-time installations count toward the policy, and it has been reported that the company plans to change the policy even further as the community continues to react negatively to the situation.

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