Official Unity Announces Intent to Join Forces with ironSource

Nice

Is it means that over time Integrating Unity Ads will actually become integration of IronSource?

 

I hope this collaboration will yield into a better experience for the user.
I hope that UnityAds will continue to serve ads from a centralized server and unique ad-media-player in-game.

 

Congrats! I'm sure this is a good thing for many - will be interesting to see what it means for us moving forward (i.e. eventual availability of new features, tools, services, etc.).

 

I noticed that I can not see v4 of Advertisments package in Package Manage. I can see v 3.7.5 which is old.

1. Is this related to this forum thread?
2. Which package and from I need to install to implement the Ads?

Unity 2021.3.6.
A couple of days ago, I could see v4

P.S. I can only update from v3 to v4 manually with editing package manifest file and indicating the last version.

 

So, will Unity Mediator be deprecated? Should i implement ironSource instead?

 

Don't care about this at all. Where's the blog post about what happened to Gigaya?

 

This ironSource?

https://twitter.com/sh4na/status/1547220950403391493

 

if IronSource has SuperSonic as publisher... won't this mean that other publishers won't want to work (or will decrease the likelihood that they'll want to work) with Unity made games?

 

also, this is a good question... will other forms of monetization will be forbidden/discouraged from working with Unity? because... if there's only one way that the devs can monetize their games through, that gives that way a lot of power over the conditions it might impose

 

With 1000 employees despite their focus, they are a fairly large player and things like those are unfortunately bound to happen Don't think that results in more risk than other add providers.
Also that software in question was apparently discontinued in 2015.

 

Unity is on thin ice, must not interfere with game dev with this. Must remain purely optional.

 

It's good that they tend to keep acquired companies fairly separate then, isn't it?

Think it's meant complementary to the game services they already offer, just mainly focused on adds and -related analytics. So that naturally is fairly optional.
Unless they decide some day to enforce adds for games made with the free version of the editor, but think that would be too risky to end up with bad reputation even for them.

 

And never, ever bundle any adware/malware process with unity editor install. It will not be possible to recover from the Dev exodus to Unreal. you have been fairly warned. Make sure you understand how Devs think.

please understand how little you mean to a corp and learn to champion your own interests. Some of us know what's happening.

 

Hi, hello, is there a version of this blog post not written in full blown nonsensical marketing-speak, or written by a human?

 

Of course not.
The blog stopped being made for humans long ago. Nowadays is for investors™

 

This is being described in Unity's press release as a "merger", not an acquisition. Based on this, I would expect ironSource to be a more integral and crucial component of Unity.

 

Yeah, they better keep this separate. Having to explain to gamers why your game triggers a malware warning would be a deal breaker for most devs.

This announcement is already making the rounds in social media and as expected people are not taking it as calm as we do.

 

Absolutely repulsive.

 

Heh well looking at their stock price it went over just as well with that crowd.

 

Nobody seriously just integrates Unity Ads, do they? You basically have to use a company like ironSource anyway for the ad mediation alone.

 

These are fairly disappointing news.

 

Oh good I was hoping Unity would merge with a pile of sleaze that publishes ad-clogged mobile shovelware with astroturfed reviews.

 

None of this matters if we can't make the actual games. Please stop merging/acquiring/adding random things to the engine and use. your. tools.

The Gigaya team has been fired. When are you going to start using your own tools to see how badly we need stability fixes?

Please stop adding new things to the engine and just fix what we already have. This is unsustainable.

None of these tools are worth jack if the engine is flawed and you guys refuse to pay attention to our needs.

 

The blog says it's meant to be how we see a game engine. I totally 100% disagree. I think game engines are separate from revenue services.

Of course, I'm interested in making actual games, not monetised garbage.

You know.. if I saw F*** all humanity from Unity or even an explanation about Gigaya, I'd keep my gob shut. All I see is another reason to Unreal atm.

Hopefully I won't be given a reason to go, because I'm fairly sure half the forum would fancy following. Maybe a grant would do it. Why do I speak like this? because I am not cared for, regardless of the care I have given.

Fairly sure I helped put Unity in this great and investable place. But Unity did not invest in me. And it does not look like they invest in many of us at the moment.

Unity's got time to address the human side of things. They really should. While there's time.

 

I think our current project will be the last Unity one. I'd be mildly annoyed if this acquisition was done in a vacuum, but this was done so soon after layoffs just incensed me. For the past few years management has shown that they cared little for reliability and stability for their current consumers, and now it feels like they're just throwing everyone that wants to make good games under the bus with this decision.

Do they not realize the poor reputation Unity has amongst gamers, however unwarranted? What do they think is going to happen when they find out that this is a merger with a company known for their malware?

 

This instantly scared our fans and our team members. We have no plans to update to any new version that contains this feature. I can't honestly expect this to be positive to anyone other than those who want quick cash grab mobile games.

 

I can sympathize with a broad notion of "connecting developers to your audiences", but like most others here am disappointed by this announcement and the general strategy and communications of Unity in recent years, especially as of late. Would much rather a business model that allowed for a more holistic development approach, ie, rev share.

But here we are. The ads number goes down and now we're scrambling to usher in the exciting new era of 'videogames: they're not just ads anymore!'. It's been a sad, slow, realization, but it's excruciatingly clear at this point the focus is no longer on 'democratizing development' for games, mixed media, whatever.

In retrospect, the layoffs seem to have been a blessing in disguise for those that were let go. I guess we'll still see some cool things from those that decide to remain, but I can't imagine it turning around for the better in the long run without a serious shakeup of management.

 

Are you serious? IronSource is a known adware spreader.

 

yeah when a forum moderator is considering jumping ship, that's when the company should be paying attention.

in terms of that, the main reason i'm still using it is that it's much easier on the hardware than UE is, and i've come from a Mac background where GPU performance has been in the basement. if UE could show it runs on lower performing hardware i might consider a switch. but really you're just swapping one set of headaches in Unity for different headaches in UE - visual scripting rat's nests, finicky animation rigs, less custom shaders, and do they have a camera system as useful as Cinemachine? the C++ coding just for their character controller is thousands of lines long - good luck debugging that if you want to customize something. and of course the sunk cost of Unity assets.

i think Unity seems to clearly be moving away from considering itself a game engine, which probably means that the game engine itself will continue to languish and get short shrift, in favor of ads and paid services. i'd consider Godot but it's far less efficient and flexible than Unity.

 

Having been a user and for over a decade, this announcement seems to be the apotheosis of the slide Unity has been on.

Some of the decisions and acquisitions in the last few years have been at the very least confusing for a company who’s primary product was at one point, a game engine.

This however, isn’t confusing at all. This is “saying the quiet part out loud”, signaling exactly where the company wants to go. A merger such as this, is a neon sign pointing to the gap that has grown between Unity leadership and what the core product that put them on the map years ago is.

Unity Technologies has clearly jumped the shark and is no longer interested in being the plucky disruption they started out as. In a time with as many potential solutions out there as there are, Unity was perhaps not the first, but easily the one that became the biggest driving change in a difficult industry. I certainly appreciate Unity for what it’s done to the industry as a whole over the years, but there’s no way this move is anything other than living long enough to become the villain.

Our current project will be the last shipped with Unity.

 

It would have to be a really strong no-bs response from Unity at this point, with real action for people to stick around once their investments are done.

 

Unity, please just make and publish your own games first. Stop integrating with so many things, start finishing the features you began adding to your engine, and actually follow through on the dogfooding of your own products (RIP Gigaya!).

If you can't make a game worth publishing with your own tools, guess what - that means we're struggling to do that too!


Unity should be a kitchen where we can use amazing tools & equipment to create incredible food, drink, etc. But right now, it seems like the kitchen is stocked with photos of tools and equipment that is only half-usable. Buying another blender doesn't help us cook a roast!

 

This. Realistically will be something we'll need to stick with for a period of time, but unless they're able to strongly demonstrate the giant neon sign writing isn't on the wall, I've lost faith at this point in their ability to plan and execute on exciting technology that drives forward the industries they touch.

 

I can't, for the life of me, figure out what it would take at this point to even begin reconsidering my position. The timing of this announcement after having just announced layoffs. The shortsightedness of this move being generally antithetical to what the company used to be feels like a confirmation of what was perhaps already gnawing for some time.

When Unity turned to Riccitiello, I believe many started the doomsaying then. Today's announcement is just the culmination of the plans they started out on many years ago. You're spot on with the way Unity has announced, demoed, and teased some spectacular things over the last few years, but being unable to deliver time and time again is a very large hint to where the priorities at the company actually are.

You're as well exactly right that its unrealistic that many, us included, will be able to move on quickly; but we will have a "next project", and there's nothing that could be said that would have it be started in this company's engine.

 

I would just like to add that I ran across news of this merger on Youtube and have not used Unity for work in over 5 years. I think this news harms the image of Unity even with end-users.

Seems like the original worries the community had in 2014 when John Riccitiello was named CEO are coming to fruition.

On a positive note, I'd also like to chime in that I am *very* surprised to see so many of the old names still around. Cheers!

 

Somehow this really fits even though Unity doesn't have a monopoly on mobile/ads but it is dominant in the space.

 

I don't know if I'm more disappointed in Unity, or myself for dedicating the last 2 years of my life to learning how to use these tools and the amount of money I've spent on assets.

I might finish my current project, and if I do, it'll sadly be my first, and last Unity release simultaneously.

Anybody have some good learning material for Unreal, or maybe Godot? Me and nodes don't really vibe for what it's worth.

 

Microsoft Windows BLACKLIST IronSource. Have fun delivering any game to windows..

 

They can't. Remember the visual coding promise? In the end they failed and simply purchased BOLT.

 

This hasn't gone down well with your users or your remaining employees. I hope it achieves whatever else you thought it would achieve

 

Unity delivered by installCore soon?

https://blog.malwarebytes.com/detections/adware-installcore/

 

You will be limited to this publisher as it stated in the TOS of IronSource

 

Looks like everyone is SUPER excited

 

I'm not gonna bother watching this, but there might be some info in here if anyone is interested:

 

Terrible news. Unity really needs to concentrate on improving the editor and engine. Nothing else matters.

 

Unfortunately not true when everything around the engine only contributes 36% of their revenue.

 

On the contrary it very much does matter. Mobile is a major platform for Unity and services are a major aspect of the mobile space. Want to know what one of the biggest service providers is? ironSource.

https://www.is.com/community/blog/10-things-you-didnt-know-about-ironsource/
https://www.is.com/community/case-studies/?tags=,games

 

Let's be honest with ourselves. The 50% of customers in this case will be indie developers.

 

True but indies often turn into paying customers. Indies are not about the current value, its their potential to each turn into full fledged enterprise customers one day due to success. So it would still be felt, but the effects would not be seen for some time initially.

Also I fully believe bigger corps will too, everyone I know who uses unity professionally is pretty much lost faith for a long time and have been looking for reasons to leave. Most of us only still maintain a license due to prior committments (which eventually will end)