Unreal Engine is now available to everyone for free. Epic Games’ “epic” engine is used extensively in game development, Virtual reality, Education or Film. The download contains everything paid subscribers had; all tools, features, platforms, source code, complete projects, sample content, regular updates and bug fixes. Instead of the subscription that was charged earlier, now the development for the engine will be supported by users paying a 5% royalty on games and applications when commercially released. The 5% royalty starts after the first $3,000 of revenue earned per product per quarter. No royalty is to be paid for film projects, contracting and consulting projects such as architecture, simulation and visualization.
This change should greatly benefit small time developers cut down on production cost. The latest version of Unreal Engine 4 supports mobile projects to super high-end console and PC games. Hence expect to see many more good quality portable games in the near future. This looks like they are trying to release the product to a wide range of people so that the market adaption increases and as more people learn the tool, in the hopes of it becoming a standard for graphic development. Similar to how Microsoft Office has become the staple of office documentation and many users continue to buy full licence for home even though many cheaper similar products are available. The familiarity and wide usage generates better support and makes it easier to find people who can collaborate on projects.
Unreal Engine faces its main competition from Unity Engine which is available as a basic (free) and pro (paid monthly subscription) model. Unity doesn’t charge any subsequent royalties though.
DEVELOP YOUR OWN GAMES
For those who are interested in checking out the latest download can do so following the links provided below. You can start making games right at home in Unreal Engine. The application is supported by a great set of tutorials and guides to help you learn the basics. The community support around Unreal Engine 4 is massive and extensive too. The basic tool includes sample projects, asset packs and tutorials to help you realize your dreams of making a game. A complete Wiki has been provided to help you learn the basics along with Starter guides and Video Tutorials. The Unreal engine can be downloaded from this download link.
Epic will explain the reasons behind the big move of going free in the keynote presentation on Twitch, Wednesday March 4th at 11 pm IST.
