Tech TENSION: Unity 6 Pulled from China
It’s official.
Unity 6, the world’s most popular game engine, has been pulled offline in mainland China, Hong Kong, and Macau, and future updates won’t reach Chinese users. In its place?
A new, homegrown version: 团结引擎.
Unity Technologies says the move ensures services are better tailored to China’s game development scene. But timing is everything, and this shift lands squarely in the middle of escalating U.S.-China trade tensions, suggesting the tech cold war just leveled up.
See: Gaming Under Fire: China vs. Tariffs
Released on January 1, 2024, 团结引擎 will now carry the torch.
A newly announced pricing model takes effect June 2025, mirroring Unity’s global structure: a free Personal license for small teams and a Pro license for studios making over $200K annually.
The mission? Catch up fast. The local roadmap prioritizes replicating Unity 6’s key features — but for many Chinese developers, the change throws a wrench into workflows and partnerships.
And it’s not happening in isolation. Just weeks ago, Microsoft’s China joint venture Wicresoft reportedly slashed 2,000 jobs, citing geopolitical headwinds.
The digital divide is widening, and for China’s game devs, the next move just got a whole lot trickier.
Source: 80.lv
