The Unity game engine, the multiplatform engine that has profoundly changed independent game development, might be up for sale, according to an in-depth report published over at CNET.
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According to the report, the folks behind Unity have been been doing the corporate equivalent of exchanging pleasantries with companies like Google, including a "serious talk" with an unnamed potential buyer. Unity declined to comment for CNET's article.
Selling Unity to a more established tech company could provide a lot of opportunities for the engine's developers. With a more stable financial safety net, access to a more thorough corporate infrastructure and the benefit of the company's experience in the industry, the engine could make some great strides. These are some of the same reasons why Oculus ended up selling to Facebook. On the other hand, the concept of signing over a company's rights to a corporation is understandably unnerving for a smaller company, which is, likewise, the reason Oculus' decision was met with negative reactions from its fanbase.
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Unity allows developers to create games that can then be ported to Windows, OS X, Linux, the past two generations of Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo consoles as well as four different flavors of mobile phone. With an included asset server and support for Nvidia's PhysX physics engine, it is an easy way for independent game makers to build games and not have to spend a huge amount of time on cross-platform support. Over the last several years, Unity has become a new standard for indie gaming.
With a version called Unity Free that allows game makers pulling in less than $100,000 annually to use the engine without paying a fee, Unity has proven itself to be a friend to wannabe developers. Hopefully, even if they are in fact looking to sell, this attitude will carry on.