Unity temporarily closes offices amid death threats following contentious pricing changes

Unity has temporarily closed its offices in San Francisco and Austin, Texas and canceled a town hall meeting after receiving death threats, according to Bloomberg. Earlier this week, the company announced a contentious change to its business model.

"Today, we have been made aware of a potential threat to some of our offices. We have taken immediate and proactive measures to ensure the safety of our employees, which is our top priority," a Unity spokesperson told Engadget. "We are closing our offices today and tomorrow that could be potential targets for this threat, and are fully cooperating with law enforcement on the investigation."

Starting on January 1, developers will be charged a fee every time someone installs a game built in Unity after they reach certain revenue or install thresholds. The decision sparked an astonishing backlash against Unity from across the gaming industry, with some suggesting it will hit developers, publishers and distributors hard in the pocket. Those who make freemium games (which don't cost anything to download and generate revenue through advertising and microtransactions) or set a low price on their titles could be hit particularly hard.

Some studios, including Slay the Spire developer Mega Crit Games, have pledged to move games they have been building in Unity for several years to another engine unless the company backtracks. That's despite the impact switching to a different engine will have on their production timelines.