Was it scary? 'We felt that way last year, when we launched and opened the source code to everybody in the world. Since April last year, Epic has offered live source access to the engine for subscribed developers, and it's been a rousing success, Sweeney says. (Of course, triple-A studios are still free to negotiate traditional licenses with the company and avoid or reduce royalty payments altogether.) How live source access changed everything

'Our user population really quickly increased over that year by a factor of 10,' Sweeney said.Īnd triple-A developers who toyed with the engine on their off-hours have become advocates for using it in their day jobs, leading to increased uptake for Unreal Engine 4, Sweeney says. Though the royalty model has only been in place for a year (so not that many products have shipped under it) the engine's audience has only grown since it became more accessible. When asked if this is a smart business move, Sweeney said it 'absolutely' is. 'If a game succeeds, we succeed along with the developer. the more potential we see in our business,' Epic Games founder Tim Sweeney tells Gamasutra. Staying in place is the company's royalty arrangement: After the first $3,000 earned (per quarter, or $12,000 per year) developers will owe Epic a five percent royalty on gross revenue for each project they develop with Unreal Engine 4. Current subscribers will receive a prorated refund for their most recent monthly charge anyone who ever had a paid subscription will also receive a $30 credit for the Unreal Engine Marketplace.

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