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[Draugoth]

Unity Technologies Inc. cancelled a planned town hall and closed two offices Thursday after receiving what it said was a credible death threat in the wake of a controversial pricing decision earlier this week.

The company was “made aware of a potential threat to some of our offices" and has "taken immediate and proactive measures to ensure the safety of our employees,” a spokesperson said in a statement. Unity is closing offices that could be potential targets on Thursday and Friday, and is “fully cooperating with law enforcement.”

Unity, the maker of tools and technology for video games, set off a firestorm on Sept. 12 by announcing it will begin charging developers a new fee for games made using its software, called the Unity Engine. Beginning Jan. 1, makers of Unity games will have to pay per user installation after a certain threshold is reached.

 

[Elder Legend]

Announce scummy stupid monetization laws and win stupid prizes. I do not condone death threats, but they are basically asked for it by fucking with every person's finances and their lives that depend on it.

 

[Shits_McGiggles]

I don't know who is making those potential death threats, but it's funny seeing the shoe on the other foot after years of game developers constantly claiming death threats and harassment (often without evidence).

 

[shamoomoo]

Hmm? I guess this wasn't a tech demo but marketing.

 

[Drizzlehell]

Leave it to the terminally online gamers to take things to the extreme.

I mean, yeah, Unity made a really dumb decision but come on, it's this kind of shit that makes me embarrassed to admit what I'm doing in my spare time at work, lol.

 

[Interfectum]

 

[ThisIsMyDog]

 

[ssringo]

 

[HeisenbergFX4]

Having played sports at a high level all I can say is

 

[DeepEnigma]

Devs now dishing out the death threats.

 

[Danny Dudekisser]

While it's a stupid thing to do, this is the one time where I'm kinda... unbothered by it. They're fucking with a lot of people's livelihoods for nothing more than greed.

 

[Barakov]

Devs now dishing out the death threats.

We've come full circle.

 

[Punished Miku]

Watch them play hardball and up it to $0.30.

 

[SlimeGooGoo]

.

 

[SlimySnake]

First he forces out Amy Henning and Bruce Straley, now this. He's gone too far.

 

[Mr.Phoenix]

Plot twist. Unity sent the death threats to themselves.

---

Seriously though, if there is a line, expect it to always be crossed when dealing with the gaming industry.

 

[Solarstrike]

Sad.

 

[TransTrender]

Sounds manufactured

 

[yohan12]

Sounds manufactured

Knowing gamers, probably not. But it would be an easy way out

 

[ZoukGalaxy]

That escalated quickly

 

[ZehDon]

Well, yeah. Their new licencing plan has the potential to end studios - you fuck with peoples lives, don't be surprised when they fuck with yours.

Given the universal backlash, I imagine we're witnessing the beginning of the end for Unity.

 

[blacktout]

Knowing gamers, probably not. But it would be an easy way out

This is where I'm at.

On the one hand, this is a great excuse to buy some extra time to try to cook up a strategy to spin the PR disaster.

On the other, gamers do love to send death threats.

 

[-Zelda-]

This company made a bad/stupid decision, but people who make death threats is a very special sort of stupid that I hope never amounts to anything in life.

 

[gothmog]

I could see it. Developers weren't exactly mincing words reacting to these changes. Not justifying it but corporate greed is frustrating.

 

[StreetsofBeige]

Just an excuse to close more offices.

Unity Lays Off Hundreds of Employees and Plans to Shut Down Half its Locations

Unity Technologies announces a further reduction in its workforce, which is the third round of layoffs the company has seen over the past year.

gamerant.com

 

[Jinzo Prime]

Bullshit.

 

[Kataploom]

Look, this is something I don't support, but this is not the same than sending death threats to the voice actor/actress of a game character over in-game events or some stupid shit like that, they're literally messing with people's income, we don't know how hard of a situation they may be in. While I don't support it, at least can try and sympathize with the affected

 

[Crayon]

idk man death threats don't seem very deadly these days.

I know an office that got on permanent security lockdown because someone who worked there did something dumb, got on the news, and then the office got a bunch of death threats. That shit blew over in a month and you still have to take the elevator to an adjacent floor and call the secretary to come get you.

 

[StereoVsn]

Yes, Unity management made bad decisions. However, death threats are stupid and self defeating. Death threats by gamers are idiotic and terrible, and it's the same for devs.

 

[Fahdis]

Lol, death threats to whom? Definitely not the employees. They probably sent an amalgamated distress email to the suits to knock it off or else "unity" in victimization.

 

[lh032]

death threats? lol are these people serious?

no wonder theres so many mass sHootings in the us

 

[newtypepilot]

Unity Chief Executive Officer John Riccitiello was set to talk to staff Thursday morning but instead said the meeting would be canceled as a precaution.

feels like a cop out so he wouldn't have to answer why he had sold shares days prior.

I know there's a reputation with deranged gamers doing dumb shit but this "tax" affects game devs, not the end user.

 

[Andrew Evenstar]

death threats? lol are these people serious?

no wonder theres so many mass sHootings in the us

agreed, usa is batshyt insane lol --- wouldn't doubt this happened for one second. article states office is in san francisco

 

[StreetsofBeige]

feels like a cop out so he wouldn't have to answer why he had sold shares days prior.

I know there's a reputation with deranged gamers doing dumb shit but this "tax" affects game devs, not the end user.

Its a BS answer.

At my company we've had protesters who have literally barged into the office as a group yelling their shit. Security kicked them out. We didnt think anything of it really. Just weird people. We went back to the office the next day as normal.

 

[Fake]

They made a fee for devs, but are gamers that send the death threats?

Don't make any sense to me. Sounds a little fish indeed, but again let the police take care of this.

 

[Griffon]

Don't fuck with people livelihood.

I have no sympathy for Unity here.
They act like mobsters by doing what is nothing more than racketeering, and are surprised by the results?!

 

[Myths]

Completely unwarranted and puerile.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

seriously though, death threats are lame.

 

[Fake]

I starting to suspect about being or not a death threat by gamers.

https://www.neogaf.com/threads/ex-unity-employee-told-that-the-developers-fought-against-the-recent-unity-changes-more-resignations-coming-this-week.1661086/

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Leave it to the terminally online gamers to take things to the extreme.

I mean, yeah, Unity made a really dumb decision but come on, it's this kind of shit that makes me embarrassed to admit what I'm doing in my spare time at work, lol.

And what if it's devs that made the threat?

 

[Griffon]

Update:

officers responded to Unity’s San Francisco office “regarding a threats incident.” A “reporting party” told police that “an employee made a threat towards his employer using social media.” The employee that made the threat works in an office outside of California, according to the police statement.

So it had absolutely nothing to do with disgruntled indie devs/gamers.

 

[bitbydeath]

Hopefully someone will buy them up when they go bankrupt.

#PagingSony, show you really love indies.

 

[Drizzlehell]

And what if it's devs that made the threat?

It would still be stupid. The difference is that they usually don't do that because they're not psychos.

 

[Killjoy-NL]

Edit:

Nvm, it was fake

 

[Majormaxxx]

This is just PR BS.

They look bad and now are trying to save face by appearing as victims.

“an employee made a threat towards his employer using social media.”

 

[delfrickintree]

Who remembers this chick?

This is just PR BS.

They look bad and now are trying to save face by appearing as victims.

“an employee made a threat towards his employer using social media.”

Unity cries out in pain as they strike you

 

[CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

Basically;"plz plz give us sympathy, plzzzzz, gamer wery wery toxic, plz give us sympathy plzzz"

 

[CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

Hopefully someone will buy them up when they go bankrupt.

#PagingSony, show you really love indies.

As a unity user that would be deeply terrifying, Sony will probably require that all my protagonists be lesbians with purple hair,

 

[CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

Don't fuck with people livelihood.

I have no sympathy for Unity here.
They act like mobsters by doing what is nothing more than racketeering, and are surprised by the results?!

As a unity user I approve this message

 

[CYRU5_DA_GR34T]

feels like a cop out so he wouldn't have to answer why he had sold shares days prior.

I know there's a reputation with deranged gamers doing dumb shit but this "tax" affects game devs, not the end user.

It probably will end up affecting the end user because prices will go up and monetisation will get more aggressive to cover the fees per user