Moonstruck developers have released a new title, Install Fee Tycoon, poking fun at the mess that Unity has made for itself after announcing that it would begin to charge developers every time a game made in the engine was installed.
Early last month, Unity came under fire for its announcement of a Unity Runtime Fee. This new change in production model has not only affected many developers, with some painstakingly wondering if they'll need to completely change the game engine they use, but has also resulted in a backlash that caused Unity CEO, John Riccitiello to leave the company.
Poking fun at this sad controversy Moonstruck has released a new title called Install Fee Tycoon. This cookie clicker is a satirical take on not only Unity's situation but the idle clicker genre as well.
Chaos3D, the widely used and popular game engine, has just changed its formula to charge developers every single time their game is installed. Now you can profit off this greedy act by re-installing those very games over and over again. Your only role is to sit back, and occasionally click, but most hire other people to do the dirty work for you.
You can "scam unwitting developers: get rich, and destroy the video game industry in the process", according to the Install Fee Tycoon's Steam page.
The satire comes with its own cast of characters for you to employ as you attempt to generate ill-gotten wealth. There's the Developers Ex who will run the re-install bat file with "zeal", EliteCode Grinder, who painstakingly makes primitive scripts to run the bat file, and of course, the Script Kiddie, who will run the bat file on their own computer, no questions asked. You can find all of these colleagues on the dark web or in your own contact list; networking is always important.
As cookie clickers go, this one is quite primitive but still decent fun. Never mind the fact that I'm slowly giving myself carpal tunnel while shilling out to a company that is so obviously an evil pantomime villain in disguise. You're greeted with a shady email that reads: "Begin the download and start making money! We'll be watching! We always are." No attempt at hiding the blatant disregard for privacy and general shadiness.
While it is great to see a small indie dev poke fun at the situation Unity has found itself in, there is something slightly dystopian about Install Fee Tycoon. Maybe in the way, it so clearly centers around people who hardly care about repercussions. For many, it could simply hit too close to home.
If you're in the mood for more fun titles, check out these super indie games and these fantastic free Steam games that are available to play right now.
