Game developers and game enthusiasts alike will be familiar with Unity. But for the uninitiated, we’ve created this guide with a detailed explanation.
We’re going to be running through everything you need to know about the platform Unity. Keep reading to find out more.
What is Unity?
Unity is a 3D/2D game engine that is frequently used by game developers, launching in June 2005. It was released with the intention of giving game developers access to more development tools.
These tools include things like 3D rendering, physics and collision detection, among many others. This means that game developers who use Unity don’t need to create an entirely new physics engine from scratch, which is a massive time saver in the game development world.
Moreover, Unity comes with an Asset Store. The Asset Store is a place where developers can upload their own creations and make them available to the wider community. This can range from graphical effects to complicated physics simulations, giving developers the option to focus on the story and design of their game rather than the code.
This opens the doors for inexperienced developers to try their hand at creating a game, as a lot of the more intricate steps of game development are removed.
Which platforms support Unity?
According to the Unity website, Unity is currently supported across more than 20 platforms, including mobile, desktop and console solutions. This includes hard hitters like iOS, Android, Windows, PS4, PS5, Nintendo Switch and the Xbox Series X and Series S.
The Unity engine is built in a way that developers don’t even need to make completely different versions of their games for different platforms. Tweaks will still need to be made to ensure they run smoothly, but you won’t need to be working on multiple projects to ensure your game features on both iOS and Android platforms.
In 2022, Unity claimed that over 70% of the top 1,000 mobile games were made with Unity, with over four billion downloads per month of Made with Unity apps. This shows the real scope that Unity has in the game developer world, and how popular Unity titles are in the mobile gaming sphere.
