Epic Games, has announced that its latest game engine, Unreal Engine 4, is now completely free for all to use.
Unreal Engine 4 originally launched with a subscription model of $19 per month, and a royalty of 5 percent for sales. “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,” said founder and CEO of Epic Games, Tim Sweeney, in part.
“In going free, we’ll be issuing a pro-rated refund to current subscribers for their most recent month’s payment. And, everyone who has ever paid for a UE4 subscription will receive a $30 credit that can be spent in the Unreal Engine Marketplace.”
The Engine, as well as all future updates will be free, and developers of commercial games will have to pay Epic a 5 percent royalty on gross revenue over $3,000 per product, each quarter.
“It’s a simple arrangement in which we succeed only when you succeed,” added Sweeney.
(via GameInformer)