Amidst the controversies surrounding the Unity engine, a heart-wrenching announcement emerged from Neognosis, a small-time independent developer behind the well-received WipEout-style racer game, BallisticNG.
The surprisingly enjoyable game, whose roots lie deep in the nostalgia of the classic PlayStation racing game, WipEout, and boasts an “overwhelmingly positive” reception on Steam, will no longer touch down on the Nintendo Switch.
The reverberations from Unity’s controversial decision made on September 12 have been profound, to say the least. The company initially declared sweeping changes, chiefly regarding charging developers a runtime fee based on each game installation. The tremors of the announcement were felt immediately, instigating mass backlash and a criticism. It didn’t take long for Unity to recalibrate its stance. They dialed back on these changes, ensuring that users of Unity Personal or Plus would remain exempt from these charges. Moreover, Pro or Enterprise users now had the option to opt for a more palatable 2.5% revenue share. Yet, the damage had already been done. The subsequent damage control couldn’t repair the cracks that had already formed in Unity’s reputation. The weight of the initial declaration, combined with a specific mandate from Nintendo, tipped the scales against the porting of BallisticNG to Switch.
Neognosis explained the crux of their decision in a detailed blog post on Steam. According to the developers, Nintendo enforces a stringent “rolling Unity version requirement” for game releases. In Neognosis’ case, they found themselves a step behind this stipulated version benchmark by a significant two years. The developer candidly shared skepticism and lack of confidence in Unity’s changing policies and highlighted the genuine risks of subjecting their Switch version of BallisticNG to Unity’s Terms of Service (TOS) changes in the future.
Such a situation was certainly not an easy one to navigate for Neognosis. It had poured years of diligent work towards the preparation of BallisticNG for its journey to the third-best-selling video game console of all time, all while balancing regular updates for the PC version. Their decision to cancel, therefore, underscored their immense frustration and the depth of their disappointment. But it wasn’t just the developers who felt the weight of this decision; countless fans, eagerly awaiting this version of the game, were left disheartened.
While the dust of this recent controversy begins to settle, there’s a glint of hope on the horizon. The rumors of a brand new console, the Nintendo Switch 2, set for a tentative 2024 release, is making waves. Neognosis hints at the possibility of collaborating with this new console in future projects, seeking a fresh start away from Unity’s shadow.
Conclusively, while Unity has taken steps towards amends, their actions have etched deep concerns in the hearts of the developers. The likes of Neognosis are now evaluating other engines for their future ventures, possibly marking the dawn of a new era where trust becomes the cornerstone of software and game development relationships.
