Unity Package Guiding Principles & Guidelines

Last updated November 4, 2020

Guiding Principles

For background, these are the principles we used to guide the Package Guidelines:

  • Open. We believe Unity users should be free to choose the products and services they want, including ones that are competitive to those offered by Unity. Unity users can also distribute their own or third party Packages to their direct and indirect teams, provided the Packages comply with these Package Guidelines. Third parties (including vendors of products or services competitive to Unity’s) can, and very often do, use Unity’s Asset Store to distribute to Unity users. Additionally, these third parties can make their Packages available via their own channels (e.g. website, GitHub, etc.).
  • Fair. We work hard to bring you best-in-class products, and this requires investment. Having third party vendors circumvent our authorized channels and business models, such as the Unity Asset Store and programs like our Verified Solutions Partners, compromises our ability to re-invest in our products and services to serve you.
  • Safe. We will protect our community from being misled by unauthorized vendors who are using the editor as a marketing channel. This potentially compromises the Unity ecosystem with products and services that may be harmful, capture data without appropriate controls or misrepresent themselves as being Unity built, sanctioned or supported.

Unity Package Guidelines

With the following Unity package guidelines (the “Package Guidelines”), it is Unity’s intent to provide more transparency and trust around what is provided within the Unity Editor. The Unity Software, including the Unity Editor and Unity Package Manager, continues to change and improve. Accordingly, these Package Guidelines may be updated from time to time.

The Package Guidelines apply to you anytime you directly or indirectly leverage the Unity Editor as a marketing or distribution platform for Packages, other than via the Unity Authorized Channels (governed by their own terms and guidelines).

Some examples of when the Package Guidelines don't apply:

  • These Package Guidelines do not apply to you when you host Packages on GitHub for Unity users to download and put the Packages in their projects, as long as the hosted Package does not, directly or indirectly, leverage the Unity Editor as a marketing or distribution platform.
  • These Package Guidelines do not apply to you when you host Packages on your own website for Unity users to download and put the Packages in their projects, as long as the hosted Package does not, directly or indirectly, leverage the Unity Editor as a marketing or distribution platform.
  • These Package Guidelines do not apply to you when you distribute Packages via the Unity Asset Store, in which case the Asset Store Terms and Asset Store Submission Guidelines apply, as long as the Package does not, directly or indirectly, leverage the Unity Editor as a marketing or distribution platform.

Certain kinds of external distribution are not permitted.

If you directly or indirectly leverage the Unity Editor as a marketing or distribution platform for Packages to third parties (other than your Designated Users), the following restrictions apply:

A. You cannot make any Package (including via Package update) available from within the Unity Editor to third parties (other than your Designated Users) that, directly or indirectly, advances or is intended to advance the commercial or economic interests of you and/or your affiliated entities. For example:

  • A Package that induces a person to buy or subscribe to products or services.
  • A Package that otherwise enables or affects a commercial transaction.

B. You cannot make any Package (including via Package update) available from within the Unity Editor to third parties (other than your Designated Users) if such Package provides a service that collects or aggregates data. For example:

  • A Package that enables a third party analytics service.

C. You cannot create a marketplace, store, or platform to promote, advertise, or distribute your Packages, products or services to third parties (other than your Designated Users) from within the Unity Editor. For example:

  • Your Package may not add advertisements or a storefront designed to sell or promote products or services via the Unity Editor UI.
  • You cannot use console messages to advertise services or commercial packages.

D. You cannot harm or mislead users. For example:

  • Your Package does not clearly identify the author of the Package.
  • Your Package does not clearly identify terms, engagement, or agreement governing the use of the Package.
  • You add, update or modify installed Packages on behalf of the user outside the official Unity Editor UI, such as programmatically through scripts.
  • Your Package collects or uses data without a user’s opt-in authorization.
  • Your Package changes project settings or Project Content without a user’s opt-in authorization.
  • Your Package requires arbitrary or unnecessary dependencies to install an additional Package.
  • You provide a Package for a stated purpose and then use it for surreptitious purposes (e.g., data scraping).

As a reminder, even if the Package Guidelines don’t apply to you, you cannot use or make Packages available within the Unity Editor in a way that violates any applicable law or regulation, or violates third party platform terms or stated policies, or harms other users. For example:

  • You should not use a Package that collects data from kids under the age of 13 in violation of the Children's Online Privacy Protection Act.
  • You should not use a Package that violates the Apple App Store or Google Play Store guidelines.
  • Your Package should not interfere with, or attempt to interfere with, the access of any user, host or network, including, without limitation, sending a virus, overloading, flooding, or spamming.

Also, you cannot imply an affiliation with Unity without Unity’s express written permission. All use of Unity’s trademarks must comply with Unity’s Trademark Guidelines. For clarity, you cannot:

  • Use a stylized version of any Unity name, trademark, logos, images or product icons, or other Unity-owned graphic symbols,
  • Use a product name confusingly similar to a Unity product or that could be construed by Unity users as being a Unity product or service, or
  • Create or use any marketing materials that suggest an affiliation with, or endorsement by, Unity.