Unreal Engine has been the go-to development engine for game developers and over the course of a few years has solidified its position in the gaming industry. Recently folks over at Unreal Engine showcased the brand new Unreal Engine 5 running beautifully on the PS5. Not only were the graphics breathtaking but the overall ambience, fluid mechanics and most importantly sound design were miles apart from what we’re used to. Of course, the 10-minute demo looked stunning running on a PS5 yet the potential considering the age of VR is immense.
Now in between all this hype what some enthusiasts failed to notice is the fact that Unreal Engine Licences are now completely free for creative folks as long as the game revenue stays below $1 million. This is definitely amazing news especially for struggling developers and artists moreover the fact that the engine itself is practically free for those wanting to just polish their skills shows immense potential.
We could be seeing a sudden boom in indie games and folks who couldn’t afford the program would finally be able to complete the game they once dreamt of making. The most beautiful thing about this update is the fact that there are no exceptions. All the available tools including the complete source code, countless demos and templates are now completely free for fair use for both games and non-games.
Royalty fees begin after the product has grossed over $1 million and Unreal Engine is to be paid 5% of the revenue earned above that. Considering the fact that you owe literally nothing to Epic Games before your monetized product hits a million dollars is nothing short of an achievement. Not only is it to boost the lower bracket of indie developers but would allow for a more reasonable income for struggling studios and producers. And yes this free to use license applies on the upcoming Unreal Engine 5 as well.
