Unreal Engine 4, the powerful game development suite has opened up a whole lot of new avenues for developers, especially for indie developers. This is because Unreal Engine 4 is now free to use, with a 5% royalty payment due if your game or app reaches a sales figure of $3,000 a quarter.
This is quite an impressive development and really does put creative tools in the hands of pretty much anyone who wants to give them a whirl. Bear in mind that there are still plenty of skills required to actually develop something with Unreal Engine 4.
Unreal Engine 4 can be used to develop apps across a range of platforms. For example you may want to develop a 2D game for mobile, or you may choose to develop a 3D blockbuster for a PC or console.
The website informs us :
USE FOR FREE
We give you everything so you can build anything. You get all tools, all features, all platforms, all source code, complete projects, sample content, regular updates and bug fixes.
I can’t see any obvious traps, this does indeed look like the real deal.
However what of those royalty payments? The website gives us information regarding that too :
5% WHEN YOU SHIP
The 5% royalty starts after the first $3,000 of revenue per product per quarter. Pay no royalty for film projects, contracting and consulting projects such as architecture, simulation and visualization.
So it looks as if Machinima may be completely free. I’d have to check the small print to be totally sure, and yes there is small print and some restrictions, for example, this is from the FAQ :
What kinds of products can I release with Unreal Engine 4?
You can release any product that is allowed by law, with the exception of gambling applications and certain safety-critical control systems described in the EULA. You can release games, demos, VR projects, architectural showcases, films and more.
The only parts of the Unreal Engine you can’t release to the general public are the source code and tools or modifications to them; these components may only be distributed to other licensees with access to the same version of the Unreal Engine.
However beyond that, this looks like a very good move by Epic and if you’re interested in game development, this is definitely a way of being able to test the waters without breaking the bank.
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