Epic will cost non-game builders $1,850 ‘per seat’ to make use of Unreal Engine

Epic Video games has announced a new pricing structure for non-game builders to make use of its Unreal Engine, after teasing the change last year. The Fortnite developer will cost an annual “per seat” subscription of $1,850. The time period “per seat” is tech nomenclature that successfully means “an individual utilizing the software program.” These adjustments will go into impact with the discharge of Unreal Engine 5.4 in late April.

Although Unreal Engine is primarily referred to as a recreation growth instrument, it’s repeatedly utilized in a various array of industries, which is the place this pricing construction is available in. Firms that make linear content material, like TV exhibits and films, should cough up that $1,850 payment, as will organizations that develop in-car infotainment platforms and immersive experiences, like theme park rides. Presently, Epic makes no cash from the vast majority of these customers, as the top merchandise aren’t, as Sweeney put it final yr, “royalty-bearing.”

The annual payment gives these customers with entry to the Unreal Engine itself, the Twinmotion real-time visualization instrument and the corporate’s RealityCapture 3D modeling software program. Nevertheless, organizations should purchase standalone licenses for every. Twinmotion will price $445 per yr and RealityCapture will price $1,250 every year.

There are some exclusions right here. Firms that make lower than $1 million in annual gross income received’t need to pay the payment. The identical goes for college students, educators and hobbyists. Firms that develop plug-ins for the Unreal Engine can proceed to make use of the software program at no cost, however Epic will take a reduce by way of its income share mannequin.

Epic’s actual bread and butter, recreation builders, will proceed to have entry to Unreal Engine at no cost, solely paying a 5 p.c royalty on software program that earns over $1 million in lifetime gross income. Epic prolonged the royalty-free cutoff from $50,000 to $1 million back in 2020.