14 DAY TRIAL // Video game developer Epic Games is announcing that it is making its Unreal Engine 4 development suite free for all those who are interested in using it, as long as studios are ready to give the company some of the money they make from the games they are using it for.
At the same time, the team explains that all future updates will also be offered free of charge to users and that it has a long-term plan to improve its tech and add more content that can be used to create video games, educational tools, virtual reality experiences, films or animations.
Those who use Unreal Engine 4 will have to pay 5 percent royalty on gross revenue after the first 5,000 dollars (4,100 Euro) per quarter, once they actually ship a product.
Since the set of tools was launched, Epic Games has created an entire universe of support around it, with a wiki that holds information, forums where details can be shared and sessions in which members of the company talk about their ideas and plans.
Previously, Unreal Engine 4 was offered with a 19 dollars (15 Euro) subscription per month price, but the team decided that even larger access to the tech would be a good idea in the long term.
The announcement on the official site adds, "The state of Unreal is strong, and we’ve realized that as we take away barriers, more people are able to fulfill their creative visions and shape the future of the medium we love. That’s why we’re taking away the last barrier to entry, and going free."
Epic Games is also preparing refunds
The team is getting ready to offer refunds to all those who have subscribed to Unreal Engine 4 in the past year, offering them credit which can be used in the special marketplace.
The fact that the game development tech is offered under such favorable terms will certainly allow a wider range of teams to use it for their projects, but the results will probably only be seen in a few years because studios rarely switch engine in the middle of development.
At the moment, Epic Games is also working on its own title based on Unreal Engine 4, called Fortnite, which might be delivered as soon as the fall of this year.
