Epic Games has announced new pricing changes for Unreal Engine, but game developers can breathe a sigh of relief as they will not be affected.
During last year’s Unreal Fest 2023 conference, Epic CEO Tim Sweeney assured game developers that they would not be charged for using Unreal Engine. This promise has now been upheld.
Game developers can continue using Unreal Engine for free until their product earns $1 million in lifetime gross revenue, at which point Epic will take a 5% cut. However, for non-gaming industries, there will be changes.
With the release of Unreal Engine 5.4 in late April, developers working on video games will have the same terms as before. Meanwhile, companies in non-game industries generating over $1 million in annual gross revenue will need to switch to a ‘seat-based’ licensing model.
Under this new model, companies will pay $1,850 per ‘seat’ every year for each employee using Unreal Engine. This change will affect non-game applications that rely on Unreal Engine code at runtime and are licensed to third-party end users.
Epic’s decision to keep its promise is good news for the development community, especially in contrast to Unity’s recent announcement. Unity announced plans to charge developers every time a game using its engine is installed, causing frustration within the development community.
Despite Unity’s subsequent apology and attempts to adjust their plans, many developers are still unhappy with the changes. Epic’s consistent pricing structure for game developers reinforces their commitment to supporting the development community.
