The road ahead for game development with Unity | Unite 2023

Unity

Unity

60 min, 21 sec

A detailed overview of Unity's upcoming features and enhancements for game development.

Summary

  • Unity 6, the next major version of the engine and editor, is set to release in 2024 with rendering performance improvements, multiplayer support, platform updates, and AI initiatives.
  • Character creation tools like Zea VFX and Zea Real Time will enable high-fidelity simulations and real-time performance in Unity.
  • Environment tools such as SpeedTree 10 will introduce new features for vegetation creation, while improvements to iteration speed and .NET support are planned.
  • Muse, an ecosystem of AI capabilities, will empower creators with tools like chat, sprite, and texture, and will introduce new features such as behavior, animate, and sketch.

Chapter 1

Introduction and Unity 6

0:17 - 4 min, 14 sec

Introduction to Unity's roadmap and the announcement of Unity 6.

Introduction to Unity's roadmap and the announcement of Unity 6.

  • Unity's roadmap outlines the future development of the Unity engine, including graphical capabilities, platform enhancements, multiplayer support, and AI tools.
  • Unity 6, previously known as Unity 23 LTS, will be released in 2024 and brings critical developments like rendering performance boosts and platform support updates.
  • The shift back to a numbered versioning system for Unity is a response to community feedback for clarity and less confusion.

Chapter 2

Rendering and Visual Effects Roadmap

4:42 - 5 min, 58 sec

Upcoming features for rendering and visual effects in Unity.

Upcoming features for rendering and visual effects in Unity.

  • Unity 6 will introduce GPU Lightmapper, spatial temporal postprocessing (STP), and adaptive probe volumes (APV) for realistic lighting and visuals.
  • New features such as spatial temporal anti-aliasing, Sky occlusion, and improvements to shaders and graphs are planned.
  • The focus is on providing scalable and extensible render pipelines for the best quality visuals on a range of devices.

Chapter 3

Platform and XR Support Enhancements

18:57 - 21 min, 25 sec

Improvements to platform support, including XR, web, and consoles.

Improvements to platform support, including XR, web, and consoles.

  • Unity expands its platform support to include mobile browsers and introduces web GPU for better graphics and compute rendering techniques.
  • Enhancements to XR support, such as AR foundation for Quest 3 and cross-platform input framework for XR devices, are on the way.
  • Console iteration speeds are improved, and new features like predictive back gesture for Android are added.

Chapter 4

Multiplayer and AI Initiatives

43:38 - 9 min, 33 sec

Unity's upcoming solutions for multiplayer games and AI-driven tools.

Unity's upcoming solutions for multiplayer games and AI-driven tools.

  • Unity is developing templates and a central multiplayer center in the editor for easier multiplayer game creation.
  • Sensus, Unity's neural engine for running AI models in runtime, will receive upgrades including MPUs support and a graph editor.
  • Muse, Unity's suite of AI capabilities, will offer tools like chat, sprite, texture, behavior, animate, and sketch to simplify game creation.

Chapter 5

Weta Digital Tools Integration

58:07 - 2 min, 15 sec

Integration of Weta Digital tools into Unity for character and environment creation.

Integration of Weta Digital tools into Unity for character and environment creation.

  • Zea tools for character creation and simulations are integrated with Unity, bringing film-quality assets into real-time environments.
  • SpeedTree 10 will introduce new features for vegetation creation, and a new pipeline SDK will be integrated into the Unity editor.
  • Upcoming releases will focus on improving workflows, optimization, and user experience for creating high-fidelity content.