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Unity merges with ironSource, faces backlash and criticism from the gaming community

The mobile game engine is going deeper into controversy!

Unity, a well-known name for mobile gamers is now facing a backlash over certain recent changes. They have been a popular game engine for the development of mobile games for quite some time. Last month, Unity decided to lay off 4% of their workforce, pushing hundreds of employees into unemployment, a move which attracted quite a bit of ire. Now Unity announced their merger with ironSource, a deal costing them above $4 Billion, and is facing backlash. Before getting into the criticism, it is worth reading the official report from them as it shows exactly what’s wrong. 

The merger is a perfect example of another corporation blinded by profits 

The entire report reads like something that would make a top-level executive with millions in the bank, get hungry for even more profits and it’s as if Unity is now blinded by corporate greed. When introducing ironSource, they said, “If you don’t know ironSource, they bring a proven record of helping creators focus on what creators do best – bringing great apps and user experiences to life – while enabling business expansion in the app economy.”

It doesn’t sound bad till the fact that ironSource has been openly called out for creating malware came to the surface. InstallCore, one of their projects, is listed as an official threat to your PC, while PC Gamer also reported that they created fake installers

It’s as if Unity, a big-name organization didn’t take the onus to even do a basic background check on this organization while focusing on questions like “What if that process was no longer “first create; then monetize?” (Yes, that’s really how much they value profits). The entire blog post from Unity seems like a bunch of other terms meant to somehow blanket how many times they mention monetization.

Unity faces backlash as they are called out and criticized for the merger

No one has been fooled here as their Twitter inboxes are filled with users of the engine and even outsiders constantly reminding people of how ironSource is a well-known malware creator and spreader. With developers and players outraged, it should be interesting to see what comes out of this. Unity is still a big name so maybe they won’t face instant and searing heat, but there is some pushback from the community over the fact that they are associated with a corporation like ironSource.

It’s not every day that the way someone talks about ads in games (“Advertising has long been and we believe will continue to be the economic engine for mobile games, driving players into their games and driving revenue at scale.”) makes you almost like microtransactions more. That being said though, gamers probably definitely would not (and should not) feel safe playing games developed on an engine with such close affiliations to ironSource. 

What are your thoughts as Unity faces backlash over its merger with ironSource? Let us know in the comments below!

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