Unity Removed Terms of Service from GitHub

A Unity representative claims the company removed its Terms of Service (ToS) from GitHub because "views were very low".

Amid the uproar over the company's decision to introduce and eventually significantly rework a new Runtime Fee, some developers noticed that over the past few months the engine maker had removed a GitHub repository that allowed users to track changes to Unity's ToS.

In a recent interview, Unity Create President Marc Whitten admitted he personally didn't know about the repository's existence until last week, but confirmed the company will restore it "with all terms of service [versions]".

Notably, Whitten stated its removal was "in no way related" to the Runtime Fee, refuting claims by some developers who suggested Unity may have destroyed the repository to make it harder for users to track changes to the ToS and how the new policy might affect them.

Shortly after Unity introduced its new type of Runtime Fee, a company representative named "Dana" stated the engine maker was "genuinely disappointed with how our ToS removal has been distorted online," and said it was removed "long before the pricing change announcement, because views were very low, and not because we didn't want people to see it."

Unity suggests its ToS wasn't exactly a page-turner.

Dana was responding to an X (formerly Twitter) user who asked Unity how it ensures users can lock in agreements based on the version of the ToS they are currently using, to prevent the rug from being pulled out from under them in the future. In response, Dana said Unity "has heard the community's concerns about the ToS loud and clear."

"This new Runtime Fee policy will only apply starting with the next LTS version of Unity releasing in 2024 and beyond," they added. "And Marc's answer is correct: you can stay on the terms applicable to the version of Unity you're using, as long as you keep using that version."

Subsequently, Unity republished its GitHub repository containing all current and previous versions of the Unity Editor Software Additional Terms from June 28, 2016. Writing on GitHub, the company said the Unity Legal webpage is the best way to find all the latest agreements in one place.

Nevertheless, the company's explanation for why it removed the GitHub repository has been met with confusion, and that's a problem given Unity is currently trying to rebuild trust with the developer community, which feels betrayed by the chronic missteps in addressing the Runtime Fee issue.