Unity (sometimes called Unity3D) is a multi-platform, real-time 3D rendering and video game development engine created by Unity Technologies that is widely used in the video game industry today. It provides a number of tools for use primarily in the creation of video games, including support for both 3D and 2D projects, scene editing, game programming and scripting, animation, physics, audio manipulation, and more. (Unity)
Unity was originally created by David Helgason, Joachim Ante, and Nicholas Francis from Denmark, and was first released on June 5, 2005. The original version only worked on Mac based PCs and could only export games for an extremely limited number of platforms. (Haas) Since then, Unity has grown to become one of the most used video game development engines in the world and now drives over 130 billion dollars in revenue for game developed with the engine. (Unity)
Unity Editor
Most work with Unity is done through the use of the Unity Editor. The editor is where game developers access all of the powerful tools and systems that Unity provides. It is designed to be familiar and friendly to both artists and programmers. It includes a scene editor where 3D models, 2D sprites, sound effects, scripts, and other gameplay elements can be imported and manipulated to create the scenes and levels of the game. (Unity)
It also has many other components to help with the creation and manipulation of these scene elements. There is an animation tool that allows for the creation of 3D and 2D animations withing the game engine itself, an audio tool that allows for mixing and mastering of audio elements in real time, and a scripting tool that supports programming in both the C# and JavaScript programming languages. (Unity)
These tools work together with Unity’s powerful graphics rendering engine and physics engine to create game scenarios in the editor which can be tested in real-time within the editor without having to export your project allowing for easy testing and debugging. For advanced users, the editor can even be extended and modified to add new features through external C++ extensions. (Unity)
Platforms
One of the biggest draws of Unity is it’s multi-platform support. Normally it takes a ton of work and expertise to release a game on many different systems, but Unity makes it easy by natively supporting many different game platforms and dramatically reducing the amount of time, effort, and especially money that it takes to port a game to a new system. (Unity)
The Unity editor runs on both Windows and Mac based PCs, and the Unity engine itself supports exporting to all the following platforms, with more being added all the time (Unity):
iOS
Android
Windows
Mac
Universal Windows Platform (UWP)
Linux
WebGL
Playstation 4
Playstation Vita
Xbox One
Wii U
Nintendo Switch
Nintendo 3DS
Oculus Rift
Playstation VR
Gear VR
Games Made With Unity
Unity is a very popular game development engine and as such there are many popular games that have been made using it. The following is a list of some commercially successful and popular games that have been made using the Unity engine. (Unity)
Monument Valley 2 A puzzle game by ustwo Games that was inspired by M.C. Escher paintings. A sequel to the incredibly popular original Monument Valley game that was a smash hit on iOS. (ustwo)
Hollow Knight A platformer inspired by games such as Metroid, Castlevania, and Dark Souls made by Team Cherry featuring beautiful hand-drawn 2D animation. (Team Cherry)
Cuphead A super difficult run-and-gun platformer by StudioMDHR inspired by classic cartoons and featuring incredibly detailed 2D animation. (StudioMDHR)
Hand of Fate A roguelike action RPG by Defiant Development featuring a unique card system that is used for generating the dungeon the player explores throughout the game. (Defiant Development)
Aragami A stealth action game by Lince Works featuring beautiful cel-shaded 3D graphics where you control the resurrected spirit of a ninja as you escort a mysterious woman who resurrected you to safety. (Lince Works)
Crowfall An upcoming Player vs Player focused MMORPG by ArtCraft Entertainment showcasing the graphical power of the Unity engine and its ability for multiplayer networking. (ArtCraft Entertainment)
Hearthstone: Heroes of Azeroth A digital Collectible Card Game made by Blizzard Entertainment. This game revolutionized the face of free to play gaming and led to the massive popularity of digital CCGs. (Blizzard Entertainment)
About
Unity (sometimes called Unity3D) is a multi-platform, real-time 3D rendering and video game development engine created by Unity Technologies that is widely used in the video game industry today. It provides a number of tools for use primarily in the creation of video games, including support for both 3D and 2D projects, scene editing, game programming and scripting, animation, physics, audio manipulation, and more. (Unity)Unity was originally created by David Helgason, Joachim Ante, and Nicholas Francis from Denmark, and was first released on June 5, 2005. The original version only worked on Mac based PCs and could only export games for an extremely limited number of platforms. (Haas) Since then, Unity has grown to become one of the most used video game development engines in the world and now drives over 130 billion dollars in revenue for game developed with the engine. (Unity)
Unity Editor
Most work with Unity is done through the use of the Unity Editor. The editor is where game developers access all of the powerful tools and systems that Unity provides. It is designed to be familiar and friendly to both artists and programmers. It includes a scene editor where 3D models, 2D sprites, sound effects, scripts, and other gameplay elements can be imported and manipulated to create the scenes and levels of the game. (Unity)It also has many other components to help with the creation and manipulation of these scene elements. There is an animation tool that allows for the creation of 3D and 2D animations withing the game engine itself, an audio tool that allows for mixing and mastering of audio elements in real time, and a scripting tool that supports programming in both the C# and JavaScript programming languages. (Unity)
These tools work together with Unity’s powerful graphics rendering engine and physics engine to create game scenarios in the editor which can be tested in real-time within the editor without having to export your project allowing for easy testing and debugging. For advanced users, the editor can even be extended and modified to add new features through external C++ extensions. (Unity)
Platforms
One of the biggest draws of Unity is it’s multi-platform support. Normally it takes a ton of work and expertise to release a game on many different systems, but Unity makes it easy by natively supporting many different game platforms and dramatically reducing the amount of time, effort, and especially money that it takes to port a game to a new system. (Unity)The Unity editor runs on both Windows and Mac based PCs, and the Unity engine itself supports exporting to all the following platforms, with more being added all the time (Unity):
Games Made With Unity
Unity is a very popular game development engine and as such there are many popular games that have been made using it. The following is a list of some commercially successful and popular games that have been made using the Unity engine. (Unity)Monument Valley 2
A puzzle game by ustwo Games that was inspired by M.C. Escher paintings. A sequel to the incredibly popular original Monument Valley game that was a smash hit on iOS. (ustwo)
Hollow Knight
A platformer inspired by games such as Metroid, Castlevania, and Dark Souls made by Team Cherry featuring beautiful hand-drawn 2D animation. (Team Cherry)
Cuphead
A super difficult run-and-gun platformer by StudioMDHR inspired by classic cartoons and featuring incredibly detailed 2D animation. (StudioMDHR)
Hand of Fate
A roguelike action RPG by Defiant Development featuring a unique card system that is used for generating the dungeon the player explores throughout the game. (Defiant Development)
Aragami
A stealth action game by Lince Works featuring beautiful cel-shaded 3D graphics where you control the resurrected spirit of a ninja as you escort a mysterious woman who resurrected you to safety. (Lince Works)
Crowfall
An upcoming Player vs Player focused MMORPG by ArtCraft Entertainment showcasing the graphical power of the Unity engine and its ability for multiplayer networking. (ArtCraft Entertainment)
Hearthstone: Heroes of Azeroth
A digital Collectible Card Game made by Blizzard Entertainment. This game revolutionized the face of free to play gaming and led to the massive popularity of digital CCGs. (Blizzard Entertainment)
References
Unity. (n.d.). Retrieved February 20, 2018, from https://unity3d.com/
Haas, J. (n.d.). A History of the Unity Game Engine. Retrieved March 25, 2018, from https://web.wpi.edu/Pubs/E-project/Available/E-project-030614-143124/unrestricted/Haas_IQP_Final.pdf
ustwo (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from https://ustwo.com/work/monument-valley-2
Team Cherry (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from http://hollowknight.com/
StudioMDHR (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from http://www.cupheadgame.com/
Defiant Development (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from http://www.defiantdev.com/hof1.html
Lince Works (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from http://aragami-game.com/
ArtCraft Entertainment (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from https://crowfall.com/en/
Blizzard Entertainment (n.d.). Retrieved March 25, 2018 from https://playhearthstone.com/en-us/