Workflow monopolies: A platform historiography of Unity in the immersive app economy

Young, Chris J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9424-6922, Joseph, Daniel J. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4628-7417 and Nieborg, David B. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3498-789X (2025) Workflow monopolies: A platform historiography of Unity in the immersive app economy. Platforms & Society, 2. 29768624251376562. ISSN 2976-8624

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Abstract

This article discusses the relationship between cultural production and platform companies by mapping the rapidly evolving political economy of the real-time animation platform Unity. Focusing on Unity's corporate growth and infrastructural extensions beyond its platform boundaries, we argue that Unity has become the de facto default for the development of immersive apps through the creation of workflow monopolies in the production and circulation of 3D real-time animation content. To retrace the impact of Unity's broader diffusion, we draw on an archive (2004–2023) of corporate documentation and promotional material, news coverage, and industry data. This historiography allows us to situate Unity within Unity Technologies’ corporate strategy, which keeps developers “tethered” to its proprietary platform. We found that Unity's growth developed along three overlapping periods: (1) corporate growth through business partnerships; (2) infrastructural integration via the development and acquisition of new tools; and (3) sectoral expansion beyond the media industries. Similar to other dominant platform companies, Unity Technologies’ commitment to the platformization of cultural production allowed it to standardize and control workflows in a variety of industries that utilize immersive apps in product development and marketing.