14 DAY TRIAL // The development team at Epic Games has surprised the gaming world by announcing that it is officially launching its Unreal Engine 4 right now and that the entire video game developer suite will be offered to all those who are interested in using it for the low price of 19 dollars (14 Euro) a month.
Tim Sweeney, the founder of the company, says that the move is designed to appeal to all content creators, ranging from those who make AAA titles to those who simply want to try and deliver the next Minecraft.
On top of the monthly subscription, those who actually ship an Unreal Engine 4 title will need to pay 5 percent of the total gross revenue resulting from sales to users.
He explains in the official announcement that, "This is the complete technology we at Epic use when building our own games, forged by years of experience shipping games like Gears of War for Xbox and Infinity Blade for iOS, and now reinvented for a new generation."
Users will get the entire C++ source code, which gives all developers flexibility and control, and the company also includes extensive sharing opportunities to make sure that creators get access to the resources they need to deliver their games.
Epic Games is also delivering ready-made elements for Unreal Engine 4, including samples and game templates offered in the Unreal Editor Marketplace, which has been designed to resemble the Apple App Store and can be used by all teams who get access to the new tech.
Sweeney says that the surprising move from Epic Games is designed to reflect the changing nature of the video game industry.
He adds, "We find this future very exciting. It’s no longer dominated by giant publishers and marketing campaigns, but by a simple and honest proposition: Gamers pay for great games, and anybody who can valuably contribute to building those games can succeed, from indie developers, to large triple-A teams, and to individual programmers and content creators, too."
This initial release of Unreal Engine 4 will be followed by the delivery of support for new technologies including Oculus Rift virtual reality, Linux, Valve’s Steamworks, HTML 5 and the future Steam machine hardware.
The team is also offering a video that shows off the best elements that are introduced in its new engine.
Epic Games is also working on an Unreal Engine 4 powered game, called Fortnite, which will arrive this year.