There was a bit of worry last when it was discovered that several companies like Amazon and Microsoft were considering purchasing Unity Technologies, developer of the Unity 3D game engine. We can stop worrying so much, as it looks like the company will remain independent in the foreseeable future.
On the Unity forums, company cofounder Joachim Ante explained the situation:
We always wanted to make a game engine that is accessible to everyone – to give customers an equal chance to develop great games and compete with larger players.
In other words, democratise game development.
The role we now have in the gaming industry has been noticed by other companies. And today we have partnerships and collaborations with many of them. And these partnerships have enabled us to make it even better for you guys. For example offering you access to even more platforms in Unity at no extra cost. Sometimes when we talk to our partners, discussions turn to talk of acquisition.
Our response has always been that for Unity it is best to be an independent company.
This has been true for the last 10 years, it is equally true today.So to sum it up: We have no plan to sell Unity.
This is the best news, since keeping Unity away from larger corporate politics will ensure a level playing field for all who wish to use it. For example, Unity is currently free for developers on Wii U, PS4, and Xbox One. It would be a shame if a new owner decided to change that arrangement with the hardware manufacturers.
