Which to Choose? Unity vs Stride – A Complete Guide

Unity ranks superior for high-quality, cross-platform game creation with AR/VR capabilities and robust community support, however, its recent convoluted pricing model could pose a financial risk for indie developers. Stride prevails as a free, open-source choice with an extensive suite of tools for PC, mobile, and VR content creators valuing cost-effectiveness and customizability.

Key Differences Between Unity and Stride

• Unity provides both free and paid versions, Stride is completely free and open-source.
• Unity supports BOO script, Javascript, and C#, while Stride operates exclusively with C#.
• Unity’s pricing model imposes per-install fees, causing financial concerns among developers.
• Stride enjoys an MIT License, making its code openly accessible and modification friendly.
• Unity encourages AR/VR game development, Stride’s focus leans toward PC, mobile, and VR games.
• Stride’s Scene editor and PBR material editor are open-source, while Unity offers a paid asset store.

What Is Unity and Who’s It For?

Unity is a robust game development engine, established in 2005, for formulating both 3D and 2D games. It provides seamless cross-platform game deployment including for Android and iOS. Furthermore, the adaptability with various operating systems empowers developers to create diverse applications from Augmented Reality to 3D simulations. Unity’s target audience is wide, catering to game developers, indie creators, and mobile developers.

Pros of Unity

• Compatibility with multiple operating systems
• Rich suite of tools for high-quality game creation
• Vivid asset store with pre-designed textures and features
• Supports multiple coding languages
• Engaged developer community

Cons of Unity

• New pricing model detrimental to indie and mobile developers
• Potential for per-install fee abuse
• No longer offers Unity Plus subscription tier
• Unannounced policy changes distorting trust
• Fears of sudden pricing shifts hindering financial stability

What Is Stride and Who’s It For?

Stride, formerly known as Xenko, is a free, open-source 2D and 3D cross-platform game engine developed by Silicon Studio. As a tool that supports creating video games for PC, mobile devices, and virtual reality, Stride primarily caters to game developers yearning for flexible, cost-effective, and comprehensive tools for their projects.

Pros of Stride

• Open-source and free for users
• Suite of tools available, including customizable shader system
• In-built assets such as PBR layered material editor
• Supports multiple platforms like iOS, Android, Windows UWP

Cons of Stride

• Relinquished support by Silicon Studio in 2018
• Historical shifts in licensing model
• Limited to .NET programming environment
• Less mature than other game engines

Unity vs Stride: Pricing

Comparing the pricing strategies of Unity and Stride games engines reveal contrasting models: Unity has a two-tiered paid and free version with added retroactive fees while Stride is entirely free, being an open-source engine.

Unity

Unity’s new pricing structure, effective January 1st, 2024, requires developers to pay a fee every time a game is installed using Unity. This model has met with criticisms, especially from independent developers. Nevertheless, Unity assures that the per-install fee applies only after a game earns revenue of $200,000 and surpasses 200,000 installations. Unity offers a free version with robust features. However, recent unannounced pricing alterations have reduced trust among its user base. But, Unity commits to fraud detection to safeguard developers’ interests. Market variances also influence its fee structure; games in standard markets like the US and UK attract higher fees compared to emerging markets such as India or China.

Stride

Stride, unlike Unity, is entirely free. Born out of Silicon Studio and originally named Xenko, it operates as an open-source platform under the MIT License. Given its open-source nature, Stride does not involve any licensing or commercial fees; hence, it provides a cost-effective route for game developers looking to use advanced tools and features while keeping their budget under control.

Code Examples for Unity & Stride

Unity

Let’s venture beyond a standard GameObject and create a unique script that makes objects orbit around a specific point. This Unity C# code snippet creates an orbit effect for any GameObject, coding a circular movement that revolves around a target point. For this code to run perfectly, you need to import the UnityEngine library and ensure that the GameObject is attached to the Unity script.

    using UnityEngine;

    public class OrbitObject : MonoBehaviour
    {
        public Transform target;
        public float orbitSpeed = 20.0f;
        public float orbitDistance = 5.0f;

        void Update()
        {
            OrbitAroundTarget();
        }

        void OrbitAroundTarget()
        {
            if (target == null)
            {
                return;
            }

            transform.RotateAround(
                target.position, 
                Vector3.up, 
                orbitSpeed * Time.deltaTime);

            Vector3 desiredPosition = (transform.position - target.position).normalized * orbitDistance + target.position;
            transform.position = Vector3.MoveTowards(
                transform.position, 
                desiredPosition, 
                Time.deltaTime * orbitSpeed);
        }
    }

Stride

In this Stride example, we’re getting our hands dirty with custom script interactions. This particular code snippet creates an entity (in this case, a sphere) and adds gravity to it, making it fall when the scene starts. Ensure you’re referencing the Stride core libraries and using a Scene where you can attach this script. The code is written in C#.

    using Stride.Core.Mathematics;
    using Stride.Engine;
    using Stride.Physics;

    public class CreateWithGravityScript: SyncScript
    {
        public override void Start()
        {
            var sphere = new Entity { new SphereColliderShapeDesc(), new RigidBodyComponent { CanSleep = false, IsKinematic = false } };
            sphere.Transform.Position = new Vector3(0, 5, 0);
            SceneSystem.SceneInstance.Scene.Entities.Add(sphere);
        }
    }

Stride vs Unity: Your Definitive Tech Decider

Stride and Unity, two potent technologies, juxtaposing in creating immersive AR/VR experiences. The choice is yours, but here’s our take.

Indie Game Developers

For indie game developers, Stride emerges as a clear winner. It’s free, open-source, and offers a rich suite of tools. Stride’s MIT License outshines Unity’s impending per-install fee structure slated for 2024, making it the choice for solo developers cautious of unstable financial outcomes.

Commercial Game Developers

Commercial game developers exploring mixed reality applications may find Unity more apt. Unity’s wide range of tools, strong asset store, and adaptability across operating systems empowers developers to create sophisticated games and reach a global gaming audience, albeit considering its monetization changes.

Developers in Emerging Markets

In emerging markets like India, China, developers could handle Unity’s pricing reform better as it proposes a lower fee structure. Unity’s commitment to going the extra mile in these markets, along with its integral asset store and a vibrant developer community, elevates Unity above Stride.

In this Unity vs Stride deadlock, indie devs might lean towards Stride’s open-source, free nature, whereas commercial devs and emerging markets could find Unity’s robust features and lower fees more appealing. A bold verdict, indeed.