- SDK: Gameye requires no SDK in your game server binary. Multiplay required
IMultiplayService,MultiplayEventCallbacks, andReadyServerForPlayersAsync()in every build. - Egress: Gameye includes all bandwidth. Multiplay billed per server-hour plus bandwidth charges.
- Infrastructure: Gameye runs across 21 providers with automatic failover. Multiplay ran on Unity-managed infrastructure — single operator.
- Status: Multiplay shut down March 31, 2026. Rocket Science Group licensed the software. Gameye has been running since 2017 with 120M+ sessions. Migration checklist.
What is Unity Multiplay and why did it shut down?
Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting was the dedicated server fleet orchestration layer within Unity Gaming Services. It provided fleet management, autoscaling, and a server SDK for lifecycle management — all tightly integrated with Unity Matchmaker.
Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting shut down on March 31, 2026. Unity licensed the underlying software to Rocket Science Group, a company founded by original Multiplay engineers. Rocket Science continues to offer the service as a standalone product, but many studios remain without a migration path in place.
Only the game server hosting layer shut down. Unity Matchmaker, Relay, Lobby, Distributed Authority, and Netcode for GameObjects are all unaffected. Unity Matchmaker works with third-party hosting providers including Gameye.
What changed and what stayed the same?
- Multiplay Game Server Hosting
- Unity fleet management dashboard
- Multiplay server SDK (
IMultiplayService) - Built-in Multiplay features in Unity 6.0+ LTS
- Unity Matchmaker (now supports third-party providers)
- Unity Relay
- Unity Lobby
- Distributed Authority
- Netcode for GameObjects
How does Gameye compare to Unity Multiplay feature by feature?
| Criteria | Gameye | Unity Multiplay |
|---|---|---|
| Platform status | ✓ Active — Founded in 2017, 120M+ sessions orchestrated | ✗ Shut down March 31, 2026 |
| Game server SDK | ✓ None — no code in your server binary | Multiplay SDK required (IMultiplayService, ReadyServerForPlayersAsync) |
| Unity Matchmaker | ✓ Compatible — third-party provider support | ✓ Native integration |
| Egress fees | ✓ None — included in pricing | Per-GB bandwidth charges on top of compute |
| Pricing | $0.07/vCPU/hr, publicly stated, no egress | Per server-hour + bandwidth (was not publicly listed) |
| Container start time | 0.5 seconds | Fleet-based — minutes for warm-up |
| Infrastructure | 21 providers, 200+ datacenters — bare metal + cloud | Unity-managed infrastructure (single operator) |
| Failover | ✓ Automatic cross-provider | Single operator — no cross-provider failover |
| DDoS protection | Game-aware profiles across all 21 providers | Included (Unity-managed) |
| Fleet management | Managed by Gameye — or configure warm pools | Studio-configured fleet profiles and scaling rules |
| Uptime SLA | 99.99% — publicly stated | Not publicly stated |
| Onboarding | Sandbox in 24 hours | N/A (shut down) |
What changes in your codebase when you migrate?
The migration scope is the hosting infrastructure layer only. Your authoritative server code, networking model, client connection flow, and matchmaking rules stay unchanged. Studios have completed migrations from Multiplay to Gameye in under two weeks.
Remove the Multiplay SDK
Strip out IMultiplayService, MultiplayEventCallbacks, ServerConfig reads, and ReadyServerForPlayersAsync(). Gameye requires no SDK in your game server binary. There is no replacement SDK — your server binary runs as-is in a Docker container.
Replace the allocation call
Wherever your backend called Multiplay's fleet allocation API, replace it with a single POST /session to the Gameye API. The response returns the host IP and port immediately. Gameye starts new containers in 0.5 seconds on average — no fleet warm-up, no pre-provisioning required.
Keep Unity Matchmaker
Unity updated Matchmaker to support third-party hosting providers before the shutdown. Your matchmaking rules, ticket logic, and player grouping stay unchanged. The only change is what happens when a match is found: Gameye allocates the server instead of Multiplay.
Gameye provides a ready-made Cloud Code module that connects Unity Matchmaker to the Gameye Session API. Deploy it to your Unity project with the UGS CLI in around 15 minutes.
What are your options after the Multiplay shutdown?
Rocket Science Group (Multiplay continuation)
Rocket Science Group was founded by original Multiplay engineers and licensed the software from Unity. Rocket Science offers a direct continuation of the Multiplay service with the least migration effort for live games. However, Rocket Science has not published pricing. Studios trade Unity dependency for a new vendor dependency with a smaller company.
Edgegap
Edgegap has a dedicated Unity plugin and documented migration path. Self-serve onboarding, 615+ edge locations, pay-per-second pricing. Best for studios that want to stay close to Unity ecosystem tooling. See Gameye vs Edgegap comparison →
Gameye
Gameye has seven years of production and 120M+ sessions orchestrated. Gameye requires no SDK in your game server binary. Gameye pricing starts at $0.07/vCPU/hr with no egress fees. Gameye runs across 21 providers and 200+ datacenters with automatic cross-provider failover. Sandbox access is provisioned within 24 hours. Gameye works alongside Unity Matchmaker with no connector required. Migration checklist →
How does Gameye handle DDoS protection and failover?
DDoS protection
Multiplay's DDoS protection was tied to Unity's infrastructure — no longer available post-shutdown. Rocket Science Group's protection details are not yet published. Gameye includes game-aware DDoS protection across all 21 providers at no extra cost, with profiles tuned for game traffic patterns (UDP floods, reflection attacks, amplification).
Multi-provider failover
Multiplay ran on a single operator fleet. Gameye maintains multiple independent providers per region. If one provider fails, new sessions route to healthy providers automatically. No single provider failure can take down a Gameye region. This is how Gameye backs its 99.99% SLA.
Why choose Gameye as an alternative to Unity Multiplay?
- No SDK in your game server binary — remove Multiplay SDK, don't replace it
- Predictable pricing with no egress fees
- Sub-second session starts (0.5s) vs. fleet warm-up minutes
- Multi-provider infrastructure with automatic failover
- Unity Matchmaker compatibility — rules and ticket logic unchanged
- Publicly stated pricing you can model before a sales call
- A sandbox running in 24 hours
- A live game that can't tolerate any migration window
- Heavy reliance on Multiplay-specific fleet features
- Willingness to adopt a new vendor relationship without published pricing
- Existing Multiplay SDK integration you want to preserve
What do studios say about Gameye?
"It's reassuring to know that we could scale up indefinitely as we prepare for platform events and sales."
Read case study: 60%+ cost reduction →"We felt there was a personal relationship, and if there was a problem, we knew Gameye would be there."
Read case study: 250K players at launch, zero downtime →Key terms
Frequently asked questions: Gameye vs Unity Multiplay
Did Unity Multiplay shut down?
Yes. Unity Multiplay Game Server Hosting shut down on March 31, 2026. Unity licensed the software to Rocket Science Group. Unity Matchmaker, Relay, Lobby, and Distributed Authority are all unaffected.
Do I need a Gameye SDK in my Unity server?
No. Gameye requires no SDK in your game server binary. Remove the Multiplay SDK (IMultiplayService, MultiplayEventCallbacks, ReadyServerForPlayersAsync) and don't replace it. Your server just starts, listens on its port, and accepts connections.
Does Unity Matchmaker work with Gameye?
Yes. Unity updated Matchmaker to support third-party hosting providers before the shutdown. Your matchmaking rules, player grouping, and ticket logic stay unchanged — only the server allocation backend changes.
How long does migration take?
Studios have completed migrations to Gameye in under two weeks with parallel testing. Gameye provisions sandbox access within 24 hours. See the step-by-step checklist.
What about Rocket Science Group?
Rocket Science Group, founded by original Multiplay engineers, licensed the software and offers a direct continuation. Least migration effort for live games — but pricing is not published, and it replaces Unity dependency with a new vendor. See the full options breakdown.
Does Gameye charge egress fees?
No. Gameye includes all data transfer in capacity-based pricing. Multiplay billed per server-hour with additional bandwidth charges. Most studios see a meaningful cost reduction when bandwidth charges are removed.
How does Gameye handle DDoS protection compared to Multiplay?
Gameye includes game-aware DDoS protection across all 21 providers, with profiles tuned for game traffic patterns. Multiplay's protection was tied to Unity's infrastructure, which is no longer available. Gameye's multi-provider architecture means a DDoS attack on one provider doesn't affect sessions on other providers.
How does Gameye pricing compare to Multiplay?
Gameye publishes pricing at $0.07/vCPU/hr on demand and $0.02/vCPU/hr reserved, with no egress fees. Multiplay billed per server-hour with additional bandwidth charges. Use the cost calculator to model your specific workload.
Related comparisons
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