A few days ago, Unity announced that some developers who use its game engine will now have to pay a fee every time someone downloads their game. For a game to be affected, it will have to exceed a minimum revenue threshold and a minimum lifetime install count.

The new policy caused an uproar in the video game industry as many developers kicked against it. Their reactions have ranged from begging gamers to not install their games to threatening to rebuild their games on a different engine.

Garry Newman, the creator of the survival video game Rust, has now weighed in on the raging debate. As detailed in his blog, Newman had nothing but scathing condemnation for Unity's new policy.

Newman said that Unity's fee isn't the problem with the policy but its implementation. Then, he outlined his grievances with the policy, including the fact that Unity is changing the rules without consulting the developers who use its engine.

Newman wrote, "We used the engine because you pay up front and then ship your product. We weren't told this was going to happen. We weren't warned. We weren't consulted. We have spent 10 years making Rust on Unity's engine. We've paid them every year. And now they changed the rules."

The Garry's Mod developer accused Unity of doing the unthinkable and breaking the trust of its customers. He stated, "Unity is the worst company to be in charge of the Unity Engine. The trust is gone."

Newman also expressed regret that his company, Facepunch Studios, didn't develop its own game engine. Then, he hinted that a Rust sequel is in development and vowed it won't be developed on the Unity game engine. In his words, "We had 10 years to make our own engine and never did. I'm sure a lot of game companies are feeling the same today. Let's not make the same mistake again, Rust 2 definitely won't be a Unity game."

Newman's Rust is widely regarded as one of the best survival games ever made. As of the end of 2021, the game had sold over 12.5 million copies. It even rose to the top of Twitch's chart earlier that year. Given the game's popularity, Newman's threat to not develop Rust 2 on Unity will certainly give the top brass at the company a reason to pause and reexamine their decision. But then, the big question is whether they will listen and reevaluate said decision or not.

Newman's blog post is the first inkling we have of a Rust sequel as neither he nor his company has announced it. Our best guess is that the game is in very early developmental stages or even just an idea on Newman's moodboard. If and when more information comes to light, you can rest assured we'll bring it to your attention.