| Mail |

You might also like: WoW Insider, Massively, and more

More Sites You Might Like

Unity Technologies revenue up 258.7 percent, Asian pirates to blame (or thank)

by Jessica Conditt on Oct 1st 2011 10:30PM

Revenue for Unity Technologies, developer of the Unity 3D game-authoring tool, is up 258.7 percent year-over-year in Asian markets, with the most monthly users worldwide coming from Seoul, Beijing, Shanghai and Nei-Hu, Taiwan. Unity's general manager of Asia John Goodale is excited about the company's Asian prospects and the unexpected reason for the region's growth.

"In China, quite candidly, what is driving a lot of our growth, is piracy," Goodale said. "Even through a pirated version of Unity, we can still make revenue from that customer, for example through the Asset Store."

Korea's revenue pool grew 50 percent year-on-year, while China gained 280 percent and Japan exploded with 897 percent. Unity doesn't support piracy, of course, but it doesn't not support revenue growth, no matter the reason.

"We don't condone it, but it's also something we don't super-aggressively persue," Goodale said.

Via: Gamasutra
Source: Edge

Tags: asia, asian-market, pc, piracy, revenue, unity, unity-technologies

Reader Comments (26)

I haven't checked into it recently, but I seem to recall Unity being free. I realize that the free version is more limited, but it blows my mind that people who pirate the "professional" (or whatever) versions of these apps when a free (albeit limited) version is already available.

@dsp4 - Video playback and real-time shadows aren't vital to a project. Nor is not having a splash screen. There's nothing stopping these developers from beginning a project in the free version and somehow getting the financial support needed once they've shown off a competent project, thus allowing them to purchase a license to the paid version of the software.

Even still, why go through the trouble of pirating Unity, which is notorious for its ridiculous system requirements, when there are plenty of free development tools out there that'd arguably give you better results? I mean, UDK is free. What's stopping these people from using it? It's obviously a more widely used SDK.

@kevinski they believe they have the right to the paid version, for free.

Piracy grows and so do sales, old news.

@drunkingamebar

Now we only need UBI to understand that......

This is..."news"? Piracy will continue. As much as I hate it, I don't see it ever fully stopping.

@Hi iTs SlayeR
Till the ninjas come, and tack away their computers.

@Special Agent Steve Ninja's who take urine samples to verify you're the own the license to play the game

In my eyes if someone pirates something most likely they wouldn't have bought it anyways.

@Wizardsofwaverly

Only things I pirate are things I cant find to buy

Then I keep the "pirated" version till I CAN find it to buy. Did it with Dungeon Siege 2 (such a great game, wish it went up on a digital platform for sale for like.. $10), and Prey.

@Wizardsofwaverly I downvoted this comment because I read it incorrectly. I meant to upvote it :(.

Then, will the greatest battle of our time begin.

Well what happens is piracy is good for the company who finds the best way to work with instead of combating against.

So you piracy haters gonna hate for no good reason.

@AsteriskCGY

This isn´t something new. Microsoft, adobe, autodesk, and all the major software companies have been taking advantage of this "piracy" situation for years. We all know programs like Photoshop, 3dmax, even windows are NOT cheap. There is no way a teenager can buy them, but what they do is they get pirate versions, but they learn to use those programs, and they train themselves to a good level, sometimes even better than using schools, and of course, the big companies who buy those programs in the hundreds and which are the ones who can´t risk to use pirate programs are the ones who hire those guys who started with a pirate copy. Of course no software company is going to accept this. But i can assure you that almost all the people who is good right now with a certain piece of software learned to use it with a pirate copy.

Wait so what does this piece of software from Unity Technologies exactly do again?

@(Unverified) I see someone didn't read past the headline.

@Faceless Troll
It doesn't say in the article what it does.

@MystcLazrDragon

Thanks for sticking up for me there. I read that it is a "3D Authoring Tool"...but what exactly does this AUTHORING TOOL do? If it's something that helps create games...I'm honestly quite surprised how many people are moving into the gaming industry.

I mean...897% increase in revenue by Japan? Here I thought that many people these days rarely go to the game industry in Japan...I'm kind of referring to Itagaki's quote when I say this.

@(Unverified)
I just googled it and basically it's a bunch of game jargon. Pretty much it's used to make games on a variety of platforms. And maybe an 897% increase isn't that much considering the psp go had i think a 4000% increase in sales but only managed to sell 12 units because it's previous sales were so low.

@(Unverified)
Also anytime brother, I guess the troll was talking about himself when he said "someone didn't read past the headline."

Well it's middle ware it's an open scale able platform to develop games similar to UDK.

I assume by the time there is actually a system created that puts a stop to all piracy, the software and games will be far to expensive to buy and then what? Can't imagine paying a service charge like Onlive for every - single - software/game/move/company known to man!

Fire some fatcats and let WoM do the advertising for you, in the long run if you have a good product people will buy it. The more money these jerks make the worse of the industry gets. Hollywood shitting out crap movies every ten minutes, games and software. Worst part about it, you buy a 1000 dollar program and 6 months later you have to buy a 500 dollar upgrade for a tool and another 300 for plugins ect.. Same with gaming companies pooping out sequels every year with zero innovation, just a new map with a new mode, a lame ass story tossed in to justify the price tag!

Some day, all these companies will be begging for our support, and we will be busy enjoying cheap non-restrictive indie games and open source! As for music and movies, meh who knows or cares at this point.

"Unity doesn't support piracy, of course, but it doesn't not support revenue growth, no matter the reason."

All hail the quadruple negative.

Hmm a free app with pay-as-yo-go access to additional assets?
I think they accidentally discovered the 'freemium' model.

Proof that you can run traditional software like an MMO.

Piracy Strikes Again =D

pursue.

Breaking News

Unity Technologies revenue up 258.7 percent, Asian pirates to blame (or thank)

Reader Comments (26)

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 10:39PM kevinski said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 2:49AM kevinski said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 5:46AM Tezz said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 10:43PM drunkingamebar said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 11:51PM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 10:54PM Hi iTs SlayeR said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 11:24PM Special Agent Steve said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 12:03PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 10:54PM Wizardsofwaverly said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 12:51AM Faenix said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 4:32AM Credge said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 11:36PM Diet Kane said

Posted: Oct 1st 2011 11:55PM AsteriskCGY said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 1:46AM Hunter141072 said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 12:04AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 12:57AM Faceless Troll said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 2:54PM MystcLazrDragon said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 3:46PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Oct 3rd 2011 10:20PM MystcLazrDragon said

Posted: Oct 3rd 2011 10:21PM MystcLazrDragon said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 12:19AM necroticart said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 1:25AM drunkingamebar said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 2:23AM RedgeHammer said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 4:28AM (Unverified) said

Posted: Oct 2nd 2011 7:09AM EpiccFaill said

Posted: Oct 3rd 2011 7:04AM Amalfitano said

Info

Description

MSRP

Release Date

Genre

Developer

Publisher

Rating

Breaking News

WB conjures up Harry Potter for Kinect this fall

Featured Stories

Weekly Webcomic Wrapup is a stranger in a strange land

Silver Lining: I Am Alive's unfeeling world

Game Of Thrones and the paradoxes of adaptation

Engadget

TUAW

Massively

WoW