Pro? Not Plus?
What were the Unreal’s licensing terms for that purpose?
As much as I’d like to grumble about it, how big of an impact is this really? How many companies are using Plus to deploy to consoles? Genuine question, as it’s not really a concern of mine as it stands.
Biggest impact will be to solo developers and small studios that have been self-funding development, and depending on how much money they’re able to collect may stay that way even once they’ve found funding.
will SG shader graph continue to include tags for “closed platforms" ?
@
how will that work out 
This is a real bummer. Plus was the perfect middle ground for me and was everything I needed for a console release of Invisigun (Switch, PS4). It doesn’t feel like “democratizing” game development, but another barrier for small indie developers.
You can’t really develop for relevant consoles without having access to that forum. Developing for consoles without access to those consoles, developer kits and tools is not really common and not really feasible. Not to mention super-stupid. It’s like developing for VR without a headset or mobile without a phone. How do you test anything without running on the device?
I also don’t think this was a decision about money. I suspect very few people would develop for consoles this way. Of course I can be wrong.
I have access to that forum, but there’s no reason for me to check it constantly while I am in between games and a long way off from releasing the next project, so I wasn’t aware of this until now. Developing with the dev kits and Unity Plus was perfectly reasonable (and fantastic) if you did not need source code access or premium Unity tech support. This doesn’t really feel like a technical requirement to me.
$1800 is a significant barrier for young, upcoming, solo/small developers who have great game ideas but are truly going at it alone.
I still can’t see why Pro is needed, forcing $1800 on us. What if I don’t need source code access or Unity premium support? Why is that not an option for the dev to decide?
It’s probably just an adjustment for larger studios.
Talk to your account managers if there is a financial issue.
Can someone validate that and confirm with actual licensee?
Otherwise some article it is not really an official source of information.
https://unity3d.com/legal/terms-of-service/software
Although it is only saying that “may” require Pro.
If I’m not mistaken we’re not allowed to comment on anything that has been announced in that section. What I can do is tag one of the developers ( @jamess_unity ) that actively posts there.
Hmm, why would be that? We are no officials. But we may be concerned as Unity users. And some news been made public, and potentially affects Unity developers. So why we would be prohibited to discuss Unity actions, specially when seeking for confirmation of the commimg source?
Discussion is not only for clarifications but also to prevent any shady practices, if any takes place. In the end we are all Unity customers and we need long term business planning.
It is us which we may end up in large companies, and it is us, who my advise to use Unity or not by them. And this is these big fish, which brings large chunk of money to Unity. We are silently time ticking bomb for Unity, depending on their actions.
So if some conditions changing silently and are in effect immedatly, it doesn’t feel right.
Not you, those who signed NDAs and stuff (who are on the restricted forums), I guess. I’m not sure if it’s true, but it sounds possible, depends on the NDA they signed and agreement they made.
So you can discuss it away to your heart’s content, the question is: could those who are members of the restricted forums discuss what they read on those restricted forums?
just curious that what features do i get from Pro for that, vs. free or plus?
You dont get features. You get the ability to customize the splash screen in plus and pro, thats it.
It specifically allows you to legally publish and work on products, based on your entities total revenue in a year. If over $100,000 including funding, tax rebates etc, then you need plus. Over $200,000? Need pro
Even if you earn very little but you are contracting for someone who is a company over these thresholds, then you need the correct license based on their revenue.
For example I earn below $100,000 revenue in my comapny, but I have pro due to contracting with a company that earns over $200,000.
yeah i get those, but since it mentions “developing for consoles is a complex undertaking”,
it somehow sounds like i would need Pro to be able to do it properly or easier?
No, it makes nothing easier. I imagine it is just a change in their TOS. But it certainly does not help in any way, its functionally the same as plus, and other than splash screen same as free.
Should talk to your console account manager rather than rely on gossip. I don’t think it’s wise or healthy otherwise.
Expect this to get worse as they desperately need more income. It used to be their main revenue source, and now they want it back. They don’t have a Fortnite to pay the bills.