Epic Games, the creator of Unreal Engine, has revealed important pricing updates for businesses using its technology in non-game applications. With the launch of Unreal Engine 5.4 in late April 2024, a new subscription model based on seats will begin for the service. This is only for companies with over $1 million in annual gross revenue that do not produce games. This change signifies a departure from the previous free-to-use model for specific non-gaming sectors.
The Unreal Subscription will be available for $1850 per seat per year. It will include Unreal Engine 5.4 with future updates, Twinmotion, a real-time visualization tool, and RealityCapture, a photogrammetry solution. These tools simplify the creation of high-quality 3D experiences in industries such as film, architecture, and product design. Subscription seats can be transferred to different users within an organization as required.
It used to be possible to make animation using Unreal Engine for free, regardless of revenue. However, it’s still really generous of the company because you’re a studio if you make $1,000,000 a year. So it’s not like they’re charging hobbyists or people just starting.
Epic Games has announced that these changes are designed to support the long-term growth of Unreal Engine. This lets them keep offering more tools for various industries. Users of older Unreal Engine versions can keep using them under the current terms until they decide to update, with no immediate impact. This is for the next version of Unreal Engine, so if you use 5.3 or earlier, this doesn’t apply to you.
Unreal Engine will remain free for students, educators, hobbyists, and companies generating less than $1 million in annual gross revenue. Furthermore, game developers will still follow the current royalty model, only paying royalties after their product surpasses $1 million in lifetime gross revenue.
This honestly sounds really fair. Also, if you don’t want to subscribe, you can get everything separately. Twinmotion and RealityCapture will continue to be available for individual purchase with updated pricing: $445 per year for Twinmotion and $1250 per year for RealityCapture.
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