# Unity
**Wikidata**: [Q63966](https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q63966)  
**Wikipedia**: [English](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unity_(game_engine))  
**Source**: https://4ort.xyz/entity/unity

## Summary
Unity is a cross-platform proprietary game engine and game creation system developed by Unity Technologies, first released on 2005-06-08. It is used to build 2D, 3D, VR/AR, and mobile games and applications across Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS, and it is distributed with a proprietary license.

## Key Facts
- Unity was first published on 2005-06-08 and is developed by Unity Technologies.  
- Unity is classified as a game creation system and a game engine (cross-platform game engine).  
- Unity runs on Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.  
- Unity is distributed under a proprietary license.  
- Official website: https://unity.com (localized sites available, e.g., /de, /es, /fr, /pt, /ru, /jp, /ko, /cn).  
- Notable stable and LTS releases include 2017.3.1 (stable, 2018-02-05), 2017.4.8f1 (long-term support, 2018-07-26), and 2018.2.0 (stable, 2018-07-10); multiple beta and stable builds are recorded (e.g., 2018.1.0b6, 2018.1.0f2, 2018.2.13).  
- Unity supports C# as its primary scripting language and uses a fork of Mono as one scripting backend; IL2CPP is another supported backend.  
- Unity’s official community and documentation resources include a FAQ (https://unity.com/faq), official blog (https://unity.com/blog), support portal (https://support.unity.com/), and official forums (https://discussions.unity.com/).  
- Common alternatives and competitors include Unreal Engine, Pygame (Python library), and Blender (3D content creation software).

## FAQs
### Q: What is Unity primarily used for?
A: Unity is primarily used as a cross-platform game engine and game creation system for building 2D, 3D, VR/AR, and interactive applications targeting desktop, mobile, and other platforms.

### Q: Which platforms does Unity support?
A: Unity supports Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS as operating-system targets and development platforms.

### Q: What programming languages and scripting backends does Unity use?
A: Unity uses C# for scripting and relies on a fork of the Mono project as a scripting backend; IL2CPP is an alternative scripting backend. Unity previously supported the Boo language (support ended 2015-03-03).

### Q: Is Unity free to use?
A: Unity is distributed under a proprietary license. For details about licensing tiers and terms, consult Unity’s legal pages (https://unity.com/legal) and the FAQ (https://unity.com/faq).

### Q: Where can I get official help and community support for Unity?
A: Official support and resources include the Unity support portal (https://support.unity.com/), official forums (https://discussions.unity.com/), the Unity blog (https://unity.com/blog), and the FAQ (https://unity.com/faq). Community venues include subreddits such as r/Unity3D and r/unity.

## Why It Matters
Unity matters because it provides a widely adopted, cross-platform toolchain for creating interactive real-time content, especially games. As a game creation system and engine, it lowers the barrier to entry for developers by combining an integrated editor, scripting support, and multi-platform build targets into one product. Unity’s support for desktop, mobile, and VR/AR platforms enables creators to reach diverse audiences from a single project. The engine’s extensibility and ecosystem—reflected in tags like “madewithunity,” GitHub and GitLab topics (unity, unity3d), and community hubs—support large developer communities, tutorials, and asset marketplaces. Unity’s release cadence (stable, beta, and long-term support builds such as 2017.4.8f1) provides both innovation and production stability. Its role as a practical, cross-platform solution makes it a common choice for indie developers, studios, educators, and other creators building interactive experiences.

## Notable For
- Cross-platform support: Official support for Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS development and deployment.  
- Broad ecosystem and community: Official forums, FAQ, blog, support portal, YouTube channel, subreddits (e.g., Unity3D), and wide tagging across developer platforms (GitHub, rawg, itch.io).  
- Production stability options: Multiple recorded stable releases and Long-Term Support (LTS) releases such as 2017.4.8f1.  
- Scripting architecture: Uses C# with a fork of Mono and supports IL2CPP as a compilation backend.  
- Widely recognized competitor position: Frequently compared against Unreal Engine and alternatives like Pygame and Blender for game and interactive content development.

## Body

### Overview
- Unity is an instance of a game creation system and a game engine.  
- Wikidata describes it as a cross-platform game engine.  
- Official short name / native label: Unity.  
- Official website: https://unity.com (preferred English).

### History & inception
- Publication date / inception is listed as 2005-06-08.  
- Developed by Unity Technologies.

### Releases & version history (selection)
- 2017.3.0 — stable (2017-12-19).  
- 2017.3.1 — stable (2018-02-05).  
- 2017.4.8f1 — long-term support release (2018-07-26).  
- 2018.1.0b2 — beta (2018-01-10).  
- 2018.1.0b6 — beta (2018-02-08).  
- 2018.1.0f2 — release available (2018-05-02).  
- 2018.1.4f1 — release (2018-06-11).  
- 2018.2.0 — stable (2018-07-10).  
- 2018.2.2 — stable (2018-08-03).  
- 2018.2.13 — stable (2018-10-18).  
- Unity maintains archived downloads and release notes (Unity download/archive pages and blogs).

### Platforms & operating systems
- Unity runs on and targets Microsoft Windows, macOS, Linux, Android, and iOS.  
- Operating system entries and platform support are explicitly noted in structured properties.

### Programming, scripting, and tooling
- Primary scripting language support centers on C#.  
- Unity uses a fork of the Mono project as one scripting backend.  
- IL2CPP (Intermediate Language To C++) is identified as an alternate scripting backend.  
- Boo was previously supported as a scripting language (support ended 2015-03-03).

### Licensing & legal
- Unity is distributed under a proprietary license.  
- Official legal and privacy resources: Terms and legal pages (https://unity.com/legal) and privacy policy (https://unity.com/legal/privacy-policy).

### Community, documentation, and resources
- Official FAQ: https://unity.com/faq.  
- Support portal: https://support.unity.com/.  
- Official blog: https://unity.com/blog.  
- Official forums: https://discussions.unity.com/.  
- Official YouTube channel ID: UCG08EqOAXJk_YXPDsAvReSg (Unity channel).  
- Official social accounts include Twitter (handle: unity), Facebook (unity3d), Instagram (unitytechnologies), and community subreddits (Unity3D, unity, Unity2D).

### Ecosystem & identifiers
- Common tags and topics: madewithunity, GitHub topics (unity, unity3d, unity-game-engine), itch.io tag (tag-unity), rawg tag id (unity).  
- Database and directory identifiers include freebase (/m/0dmyvh), mobygames group id (8230), mod_db_engine_id (unity), and others listed in structured properties.

### Competitors & alternatives
- Noted competitors and alternatives include Unreal Engine, Pygame (Python game library), and Blender (3D content creation software).

### Media & branding
- Logos and images: logo files listed (e.g., Unity_Technologies_logo.svg, Unity_2021.svg with start qualifier 2021-10-00).  
- Example image asset reference: Roundabout - Screenshot_03.png.

### Additional references and resources
- Press/news page: https://unity.com/news.  
- Service status: https://status.unity.com/.  
- Contact/support pages and official channels are provided above for further authoritative information.

## References

1. [Source](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pg5P69Hzsbg)
2. [Source](https://unity3d.com/get-unity/download/archive)
3. [Source](https://unity3d.com/unity/beta/unity2018.1.0b6)
4. [Source](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2017/12/19/unity-2017-3-is-here/)
5. [Source](https://unity3d.com/unity/beta/unity2018.1.0b2)
6. [Source](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2018/05/02/2018-1-is-now-available/)
7. [Source](https://unity.com/releases/editor/archive)
8. [Source](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2018/07/10/2018-2-is-now-available/)
9. [Source](https://unity3d.com/fr/unity/qa/lts-releases)
10. [Source](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2018/09/13/unity-2018-3-beta-get-early-access-now/)
11. [Introducing Unity 2018.3. 2018](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2018/12/13/introducing-unity-2018-3/)
12. [2019](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2019/01/31/unity-2019-1-beta-is-now-available/)
13. [Source](https://unity3d.com/de/unity/beta/2019.1.0b1)
14. [2019](https://blogs.unity3d.com/2019/04/16/introducing-unity-2019-1/)
15. [Source](https://unity3d.com/unity/whats-new/2019.3.5)
16. [Source](https://unity3d.com/unity/whats-new/2019.3.6)
17. [Unity Editor Beta Releases. 2023](https://unity.com/releases/editor/beta)
18. [Unity download archive](https://unity.com/releases/editor/archive)
19. Freebase Data Dumps. 2013
20. [Source](https://unity.com/)
21. Google Knowledge Graph
22. Quora
23. [Source](https://www.reddit.com/r/Unity3D/)
24. [Source](https://docs.unity3d.com/2023.2/Documentation/Manual/CSharpCompiler.html)
25. [Source](https://docs.unity3d.com/2023.2/Documentation/Manual/scripting-backends.html)
26. [Source](https://docs.unity3d.com/2023.2/Documentation/Manual/Mono.html)
27. [Source](https://unity3d.com/unity/whats-new/unity-5.0)
28. [Source](https://thenextweb.com/vocabulary/unity/)
29. [Source](https://golden.com/wiki/Unity-AMARVGM)
30. YouTube API
31. [Source](https://www.igdb.com/game_engines/unity)
32. [Game Engine: Unity - MobyGames](https://www.mobygames.com/group/8230/game-engine-unity/)
33. [Unity - List of Best Games on RAWG • RAWG](https://rawg.io/utags/unity)