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UPDATED - Unity Pulls Licensing from SpatialOS, Unity Responds to Allegations

SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
edited January 2019 in News & Features Discussion

imageUPDATED - Unity Pulls Licensing from SpatialOS, Unity Responds to Allegations

The talks between Unity and Improbable, creators of SpatialOS, have broken down. Unity has pulled Improbable's license and blocked them from using the engine as a breach of the new terms of service. "This will affect our ability to support games". The issue at hand is that developers currently developing games of with games in production using Unity will no longer be able to use SpatialOS. This includes companies such as Bossa and NetEase.

Read the full story here

UPDATED: Unity has responded to Improbable's post / news listed below:

Improbable published a blog post regarding their relationship with Unity earlier today. Improbable’s blog is incorrect.

We terminated our relationship with Improbable due to a failed negotiation with them after they violated our Terms of Service.

We’ve made it clear that anyone using SpatialOS will not be affected.

Projects that are currently in production or live using SpatialOS are not affected by any actions we have taken with Improbable.

If a game developer runs a Unity-based game server on their own servers or generic cloud instances (like GCP, AWS or Azure), they are covered by our EULA.

We have never communicated to any game developer that they should stop operating a game that runs using Improbable as a service.


¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


Post edited by SBFord on
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Comments

  • Slapshot1188Slapshot1188 Member LegendaryPosts: 16,947
    edited January 2019
    I think we know this ends with a settlement and everyone smiling to the public... but it really shines a light on how fragile these relationships are.

    There is a chance, although small.. that a bunch of MMOs in development will have to shut down because of this spat.

    That's bad news for everyone, even if you aren't interested in those titles.

    Kind of surprised though that a company with so much money behind it would find itself in such a precarious position. Seems like some pretty bad negligence to me.
    SBFordGdemami

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  • SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
    Be sure to go to Slapshot's thread! :)

    https://forums.mmorpg.com/discussion/478624
    GdemamiDakeru


    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


  • KooturKootur Member UncommonPosts: 352
    Man it's like the gaming industry is collapsing in on itself these past few weeks.

    Maybe the industry will get the enema it needs and reboot back into small devs passionate devs that have ideas and skills to make good games.
    GdemamiConstantineMerus
  • SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
    Kootur said:
    Man it's like the gaming industry is collapsing in on itself these past few weeks.

    Maybe the industry will get the enema it needs and reboot back into small devs passionate devs that have ideas and skills to make good games.
    I think there's a lot to be said for @DMKano 's theory about how the massive success of Fortnite is hurting the industry.  Hopefully these guys will work it out.
    Gdemami


    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


  • yonpachiyonpachi Member UncommonPosts: 191
    NetEase?

    So no Diablo Immortal then?!
    sneakerz007
  • WellspringWellspring Member EpicPosts: 1,464

    Arterius said:





    I think we know this ends with a settlement and everyone smiling to the public... but it really shines a light on how fragile these relationships are.





    There is a chance, although small.. that a bunch of MMOs in development will have to shut down because of this spat.





    That's bad news for everyone, even if you aren't interested in those titles.





    Kind of surprised though that a company with so much money behind it would find itself in such a precarious position. Seems like some pretty bad negligence to me.






    Yeah, Fractured a game that I have been watching but didn't back just talk about this on there forums. Saying that they are going to keep on working on Alpha 1 in hopes that Unity will realize there mistake and reverse the decision in a few days. They were confident they would.



    They didn't say what would happen if they didn't but I am sure it isn't going to be good.



    They would just need to talk to SBS. Apparently SpatialOS can be quickly reproduced using open source software... :wink:
    Slapshot1188
    --------------------------------------------
  • LokeroLokero Member RarePosts: 1,514
    It's probably been mentioned, but Unity is currently developing a new networking infrastructure of their own for their engine.  I imagine that somehow plays a large part in this.

    They are probably just paving the way for their own system.
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  • WellspringWellspring Member EpicPosts: 1,464
    Arterius said:

    Arterius said:





    I think we know this ends with a settlement and everyone smiling to the public... but it really shines a light on how fragile these relationships are.





    There is a chance, although small.. that a bunch of MMOs in development will have to shut down because of this spat.





    That's bad news for everyone, even if you aren't interested in those titles.





    Kind of surprised though that a company with so much money behind it would find itself in such a precarious position. Seems like some pretty bad negligence to me.






    Yeah, Fractured a game that I have been watching but didn't back just talk about this on there forums. Saying that they are going to keep on working on Alpha 1 in hopes that Unity will realize there mistake and reverse the decision in a few days. They were confident they would.



    They didn't say what would happen if they didn't but I am sure it isn't going to be good.



    They would just need to talk to SBS. Apparently SpatialOS can be quickly reproduced using open source software... :wink:
    I don't much about video game devolpment or computers to know if your joking or not but that wink makes me think you are. Either way I didn't back the game thankfully. Instead I used the extra on backing Ship of Heroes.
    Yeah, I was being sarcastic.

    CoE concluded their KS touting how SpatialOS (a very highly funded engine) was the answer to all doubts about their 100,000 player servers and  ambitious launch date. Then around the same time that they missed their launch date, they announced they were no longer using SpatialOS. Instead they claimed they had reproduced it with open source software. 

    We're now a year past the original launch date, and SBS has nothing playable to show for it. 
    Slapshot1188Gdemami
    --------------------------------------------
  • WalkinGlennWalkinGlenn Member RarePosts: 450
    Meh, I've become less and less intestered in games over the years. The nickel and diming is getting out of hand. Im down to EvE occasionally and good'ol CSS. More than anything I play Tabletops with my wife and kids, or solo. Ive gotten more employment out of Too Many Bones and The City of Kings in the last year than any new game out in the last two...
  • SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
    edited January 2019
    Just FYI, Unity has responded and basically said, "Bullshit" :D

    https://blogs.unity3d.com/2019/01/10/our-response-to-improbables-blog-post-and-why-you-can-keep-working-on-your-spatialos-game/
    Improbable published a blog post regarding their relationship with Unity earlier today. Improbable’s blog is incorrect. We terminated our relationship with Improbable due to a failed negotiation with them after they violated our Terms of Service. We’ve made it clear that anyone using SpatialOS will not be affected.
    Lokero[Deleted User]TacticalZombehScotty787[Deleted User]Wellspringtweedledumb99GdemamiinfomatzMrMelGibsonand 1 other.


    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


  • FlyByKnightFlyByKnight Member EpicPosts: 3,967
    Open source everything. The tech doesn't make the game good, applying the tech properly does.
    "As far as the forum code of conduct, I would think it's a bit outdated and in need of a refre *CLOSED*" 

    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
  • WizardryWizardry Member LegendaryPosts: 19,332
    Kind of leaves us hanging,like watching the local TV news.What was the breach of contract?
    It kind of doesn't make any sense,this is exactly how the Unreal engine became so good,they added third party ideas to improve it's overall appeal.
    So adding spatial OS seems like a win win for Unity and engine that i personally have NEVER seen anything good come from it.
    Then again seeing so many half assed games of late,maybe i shouldn't be pointing at Unity and just realizing a lot of really bad developers out there can tarnish the Unity engine.
    Solancer

    Never forget 3 mile Island and never trust a government official or company spokesman.

  • IkedaIkeda Member RarePosts: 2,751
    Man, I read NetEase cease and desist and I had my fingers crossed this would stop the Immortal game from happening. I can't help it.
  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    Arterius said:
    I don't much about video game devolpment or computers
    ...neither he does.
    MrMelGibson
  • LimnicLimnic Member RarePosts: 1,116
    Just one more reason I always question online multiplayer games that use Unity. There are better options out there than Unity for persistent online multiplayer games. 
    Need to temper that against knowing what is actually up, rather than if it's just someone crying wolf.

    https://www.gamesindustry.biz/articles/2019-01-10-unity-explains-improbable-license-revocation-calls-spatialos-creators-post-incorrect

    Unity is a decent engine in general, and they allow third party servers and platforms (have to be a Unity approved partner for platform service, which mostly means abiding by their EULA), so people aren't very limited there in what they can actually do.

    There are better "out of the box" options for engines and services for online gaming. However most engines, unless you go open source (and take a hit to stability, content, and overall features), have comparably finite services, scope, and support in contrast to the likes of Unity and Unreal.
    MadFrenchie
  • LobotomistLobotomist Member EpicPosts: 5,963
    Like we needed more hurdles for MMO development
    bng28Mendel



  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    Just one more reason I always question online multiplayer games that use Unity. There are better options out there than Unity for persistent online multiplayer games. 
    ...you don't have to use Unity network back-end. You can either write your own or use something else, ie SpatialOS.
    MrMelGibson
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  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    Have you worked netcode into Unity? It is a mess. Unity is not an engine made well for persistent online worlds. That is not by chance. The prediction code should be wrapped into high level  functions for lag compensation among many other things. UNet was supposed to address many issues but never did. Unity is a platform that is good for single player games. Very good in many ways. Online games? No. Persistent online worlds? Hell no. 
    Unity knows this and has made no secret to this fact.  
    UNet Deprecation is real and for legit reasons. Even Unity developers have problems developing Netcode for the engine. Even after buying Multiplay.


    More and more will turn to an Epic....   Improbable just threw their weight behind Epic. 
    Unity should stay in it's lane. 
    ...maybe read posts you reply to?
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  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    Same to you. ;)
    SpatialOS is Improbable. They just announced a joint multimillion dollar funding project with Epic to create an open source engine for developers to leave Unity behind.

       
    You: UNet is shit.
    Me: You don't have to use UNet with Unity.
    You: UNet is shit.

    Yeah.....
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  • GdemamiGdemami Member EpicPosts: 12,342
    Stay in your lane G ;)

    Yep, there is no point talking to you since you lack elementary understanding of sw development. Just not your lane indeed...
  • SBFordSBFord Former Associate EditorMember LegendaryPosts: 33,129
    Guys, stay on topic.

    Another interesting update about Epic partnering with Improbable to lure devs to the Unreal Engine:

    https://venturebeat.com/2019/01/10/epic-improbable-create-25-million-fund-to-transition-devs-away-from-unity/

    To assist developers who are left in limbo by the new engine and service incompatibilities that were introduced today, Epic Games and Improbable are together establishing a $25 million combined fund to help developers transition to more open engines, services, and ecosystems,” Sweeney and Narula wrote. “This funding will come from a variety of sources including Unreal Dev Grants, Improbable developer assistance funds, and Epic Games store funding.
    GdemamirojoArcueid[Deleted User]


    ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ 


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