The Unity Installation Fee Controversy erupted in September 2023 when Unity Technologies announced a new 'Runtime Fee' pricing model, which intended to charge developers every time a game was installed after reaching certain thresholds. The gaming industry and indie developer community responded with overwhelming backlash, citing the policy's potential to bankrupt small studios and its lack of transparency regarding tracking. The controversy sparked a massive wave of memes depicting Unity as a greedy corporate entity, often showing developers fleeing to alternative engines like Godot or Unreal Engine. While Unity eventually walked back much of the policy and their CEO stepped down, the memes remain a permanent fixture in game development circles to represent corporate distrust and the volatility of engine licensing.