The three licence types
Every Asset Store purchase comes with one of a small set of licence types, and the type changes who may use the asset and where it may ship. The three that matter most:
| Type | Who it covers | The catch |
|---|---|---|
| Extension Asset | ONE named user per seat | Editor tools and extensions are licensed per person - a team of four needs four seats |
| Single Entity | One named company or person | Generally cannot be used to build projects delivered to a DIFFERENT entity - the client-work trap |
| Multi Entity | Multiple entities incl. clients | Costs more - which is exactly why contractors accidentally buy the cheaper one |
Extension Assets are per seat
If the package is a tool your people USE inside the editor - an inspector extension, a level-design tool, a build pipeline - it is typically an Extension Asset, and Unity's terms require one licence per user. One purchase does not cover the studio. This is the single most commonly violated rule on the Asset Store, usually by accident: the studio buys the tool once, three more people install it, nobody thinks about it again.
Single Entity - the client-work trap
A Single Entity licence covers one entity: the buyer. If you are a contractor or an outsourcing studio and the project you are building ships as your CLIENT's product, the client is usually a different entity - and a Single Entity asset embedded in their build is exactly the kind of finding that turns up in due diligence. The Multi Entity tier exists for this situation; it is priced higher because it covers more.
The practical rule of thumb: if a client's name goes on the product, check every Single Entity asset in it.
What to record for every Unity asset
- The exact licence type at time of purchase (screenshot or invoice line)
- The order/invoice number and the purchasing account - studio account, not a personal one
- For Extension Assets: how many seats, assigned to whom
- Which project(s) the asset ships in, and who the client entity is
That is precisely the shape of a register entry in Asset Licence Register - and its risk flags fire automatically on Single-Entity-with-a-client and seats-below-team-size, so the trap gets caught while it costs an upgrade, not an indemnity claim.