Hey everyone! It’s been a while since I’ve offered an update on my Marketplace Collection and I’d like to give you an explanation of what’s been going on.
For the past 4 years I’ve dedicated my full time to putting out high quality, customizable assets. My goal has been to provide an ever-expanding collection of interconnected assets so that indie developers could create games with AAA quality environmental visuals at an affordable rate, all while distinguishing their assets from fellow developers who utilize the same products. Throughout this time, I have been overwhelmed by and grateful for the incredible support from the UE4 community and their reception of my products.
In order to accomplish my goal, I had to work full-time on the marketplace to not only produce quality content in a timely manner, but provide a customer service experience I myself would enjoy as a buyer. Very few sellers have the privilege of being able to work on their content full-time and so I am very grateful for the ability to do so.
Last year I published a record number of products, releasing the Season 2 Discount Bundle and 3 new major environmental/prop packs – two of which belong to the new Polaris Collection. Originally, I had big plans for these collections. These include: additional products for the Majestic Fantasy Collection, finishing the Engineer Collection with a large exterior-focused pack, and continuing work on the Polaris Collection which would see content like space ships, modular stations, vehicles and more added to flesh out off-world environments.
As a content developer, workload increases exponentially with each subsequent release. This is especially so for a one-person team. I met this challenge with each release, seeking new ways to improve on customer service and also increase efficiency of development without compromising quality. However, as the marketplace continues to grow, there are factors to success that are beyond the control of a seller. Marketing and discovery are two of the greatest. As more content is added to the UE4 storefront, it becomes difficult to stand out in a sea of products. And while within the last two weeks we have had a bit of an overhaul to the way the store works, for the last 4 years we’ve had to struggle with a rapidly growing marketplace with little to no ability to distinguish ourselves from one another, or utilize basic ecommerce features. Many other storefronts offer the ability to communicate with buyers who opt in, allowing sellers to develop a rapport with their buying community – bouncing back feedback on how to create and deliver better products and services while also providing info on new products, unique discounts for loyal customers, and things that make the customer service experience better as a whole. It is critical to the success of any business, especially online, as communication is key for both parties in ensuring the best content and experience are delivered. Analytics is an additional key factor, something we’ve been without since the inception of the UE4 Marketplace and have been awaiting for nearly 5 years.
These are just a few of many examples as to why I’ve come to this decision. Over the past year I’ve seen many sellers, including a few friends who were top sellers on the Marketplace, give up on developing new content due to the struggles of working on the platform. Selling content is hard enough when you look at factors such as does your content look good, is it useful, customer interest, etc. It becomes increasingly worse when you’re operating in 2019 without storefront features that were commonplace a decade ago. I’ve tried to continue with the hope that things would get better, especially in light of promises that were made but sadly never came to fruition. Eventually when the amount of work far outweighs the return on investment you have to decide whether it’s worth continuing. As someone who’s primary and sole source of income has been the UE4 marketplace for the past 4 years, looking at the downward trend that not only I but even fellow sellers have been grappling with, I have to determine what’s best for my financial situation going forward. As a full-time content creator, the long-term viability of the UE4 Marketplace just doesn’t seem to be there anymore.
I would love nothing more than to finish the work I started 4 years ago. I had big plans for the asset collections, as well as diving into different genres and categories. However, due to the current state of the UE4 marketplace and how things have rather sharply turned around over the last year I cannot do so without compromising my ability to earn a basic living. What’s ironic is that this significant downward spiral started right after Epic’s 88/12 royalty change.
So where does that leave us? I will continue to support the existing products on the marketplace, and deliver the same quality customer service I have prided myself on for the last 4 years. However, while I still have a desire to finish working on the various asset collections, I will be taking a hiatus from development until the storefront modernizes to the point where the lack of basic ecommerce features isn’t a major negative to the ability of sellers to reach their fullest potential.
I have not come to this decision lightly. Over the last 4 years I have devoted my undivided attention to building up my products and creating a positive relationship with my customers. I am hoping that the UE4 marketplace receives the attention it needs to become the best storefront for sellers and buyers alike. Until then I have decided to pursue another path. I’ll always be available here, by email or anywhere you can find me to chat. I will continue to monitor the progress of the marketplace. Thank you all for your continued support. If you would like to find out more about what I’m doing next, check out my recent announcement.