Let’s not say “Item” that sounds more like spending money on a single asset. It’s a “Package”.
To say a package is cheap, normal or expensive, you should just think how much it would have cost if you hired the artist and paid him hourly to create this content only for you.
Here is an example package for a price of $64.99.
I image you’d have been paying more than $1000 if you wanted to pay him hourly to do those for you. So, $64.99 is so cheap already.
You can not compare market sales with on/off payments for an industry job. Marketplace items keep generating revenue for a very long time, a industry job is a on time thing.
The Unity asset store is helpful to make an estimate of where the Epic Market Place prices will end up. Much lower than now.
In the end, people that buy from the marketplace are hobbiests and so on. They do not pay $100 for something. That’s how Unity’s prices got so low.
But nobody keeps people from trying their ‘industry rates’ on UE hobby people and for volume sales.
I run a AAA Art studio, so I can give you some insight on cost to develop these high quality assets. Normal AAA quality character model would cost about 5-8k USD to create. So in retrospect $70-$100 per model isn’t bad pricing at all, especially if you never know if you are going to make it. Imagine if these didn’t exist and you had to spend hundreds of thousands to make your hobbyist game. Just be thankful these quality packs exist for these amazing price points.
The comparison is apt because industry standard rates are paid upfront and the developer takes on no risk. In the marketplace the developer takes on all the risk and so it’s up to them to decide what that risk is worth. At the very minimum they expect to earn what they would expect to earn working for freelance for your project when all is said and done. Like I said before if you can’t afford your hobby, then find another hobby. But just because your hobby brings you enjoyment doesn’t entitle you to everyone else working below industry standards to allow you to enjoy your hobby. It’s selfish.
Using Unity as a comparison is completely wrong-headed. A good number of assets on the Unity asset store are trash. Not all of course. But there is growing backlash in the gaming community against using hobbyist projects to turn a profit with assets at the level that can be found on the asset store without alteration.
We definitely sell more items that are under the $100 mark, but I just looked at the sales data, and content above $100 sells surprisingly well. Based on the number of people that use UE and purchase content on the Marketplace, price sensitivity is less than one would think. Above a certain price, people are going to think “man, I better read some reviews or check the forums before I spend money on that.” This is an important lesson: The more expensive your content is, the more important it is to have positive word of mouth, a reputation for supporting your content, and to be involved in the community. You’re not going to attract impulse buyers with a high price point, so you’ll have to do a bit more work for it to catch on and build trust, but people will buy it if you have a great product that represents a lot of value and time savings, and if it’s presented really well.
While I’m thinking of it, here’s some advice for everyone selling their content, but especially people that choose a higher price point: ask the people that purchase your content to leave ratings and reviews on your Marketplace product page. It really does make a difference.
Man thats just an awful outlook to have in life.
What if all of the grocery stores started selling everyday items for $200 … like a carton of milk for $200, loaf of bread for $150. Would you just say “oh… if you cant afford it, dont eat.” No, you question things and find out why and try to understand. Your answers are the the opposing argument to me having said “prices are too high, its a rip off”. Thats not what I or anyone has said. And saying such a thing isn’t fair to the creators. You’re not being blunt anymore you’re being close minded. There is no with anyone asking some questions.
The market being so new is a good point. Competition will definitely drive prices down. As that happens the purchase prices will have to come down or the creators will make even less. Some may stop even creating assets as it’s not worth it anymore. Maybe this is good for hobbyists, maybe not.
**DigitalShock: ** It doesn’t take much to imagine that they didn’t exist. Not too long ago they didnt. The fact that they do draws more people into the scene to try their hand at it. At the same time that feeds back to the asset creators. It’s a cycle, both sides need each other. One can’t take advantage of the other though or the cycle doesn’t work so well.
Let me reiterate, my view is that the purchase price can be what its deemed to be worth. I like when creators take polls from people in the forums providing they actually listen. But there could be a personal use, hobbyist price as well that is significantly lower. This only gives you access to the assets to use in your own space. Never for release. You pay the release price if you want to use it commercially or publicly. Simple as that. No one is asking for anything for free. It’s different if I contracted a creator to make me something and said I’ll only pay you x until I release the game. But that isnt this situation! These are generic assets (some very high quality yes) sold to the mass so to speak. Therefore the work is done already regardless of whether I buy it or not. As I mentioned in my previous post. There’s one in John’s minimap I need. I haven’t tried implementing the myself yet… it may take me 5 mins, it may take me 5 hours. I built most of the map myself already. Would I pay $20 to get that one now, no. Would I pay $5-8 to save myself the time though and see how he did it. Yep. So either John gets 0 from me for his asset, or he gets something, makes no differences now in terms of his time since his time is already spent on it. And before comes in on this note, I don’t need to change hobbies in this case, I simply choose not to buy his asset at all. Choice made, no complaints.
Point being if there isn’t access to these assets for personal use and hobbyists, then when more creators enter the market and start adding tot he competition, the purchase prices overall will have to drop as mentioned by several. Then you either take the hit or stop making assets. At least in my suggested pricing model, the purchase prices can remain high and be paid out should a buyer release something. But in the meantime can keep the prices competitive by offering them at much lower rates for personal use, may even end up with more sales that way since more people never release and therefore cant justify spending hundreds on assets, but would instead buy them anyway at lower rates and never release because it’s not that much of a financial risk to them at that point.
**: ** Nice release! I just checked it out. I never saw it even get released to be honest. 4 months ago this woulda been amazing for me. I would have totally bought that for that price in a second. I’ve made almost everything included in it now on my own though. But thats a wicked deal for what it is.
Tl;Dr then don’t buy. I plan on buying a few different packages myself. I have purchased on blueprint & art pack so far, and been happy.
This really isn’t a thread that is suited for creators and developers. If you want the license you asked for, then suggest it to Epic in the appropriate feedback forum.
I have even seen this thread every single place content starts being sold. It is always “you guys charge too much, you should lower prices” or something similar.
Contact the content creators directly. This thread has no place here.
agree, price are to big(maybe in USA is a cheap but now in Ukraine 10-30$ is to much for one marketplace item for hobby project) and for my hobby project i try find “free” models in INTERNET and setup to unreal. but if these items cost only 1-2$ for non commercially use i easy can by this, because market place item is designed for UE4
You are LITERALLY equating the need to eat with access to 3D models and Unreal blueprints.
You are aware that eating isn’t a hobby, right? Right? That you would even make that analogy proves my point. Access to these things isn’t a right. It’s not food. It’s not shelter. It’s a hobby. Equating your hobby to basic life necessities shows just how much you’re willing to diminish our hard work so you can get a better deal.
No one said you can’t ask questions. No one said you can’t have opinions. But just as you’re allowed to ask questions and have opinions, we’re allowed to note just how stupid your questions and opinions are.
That is actually not true, theres many cases on history where companies drop prices to match there customer base/user market. Just because you think your work is worth a million dollars does not mean it is and selling a 100 things for 20 dollars is better then selling 2 things for 50 dollars
As I think about the prices on the Marketplace, I think I would be willing to pay more if it meant we would attract more awesome art/designer folks. I am a programmer and besides some very basic touch up, I can’t do anything artsy, my brain just doesn’t work that way, so I love the idea of more awesome content in the Marketplace.
There was mention of the RPG starter kit above and how great it has done. As a purchaser of that kit, I have to say, I love it, I ended up doing something in a totally different genre with it, so I didn’t need any of the ‘code’ type items, but I love the art content.
Just my two cents, but I wanted to take the opportunity to say I will always be willing to support people’s hard work
I’m not equating assets to eating. I’m using something everyone can relate to to show how narrow minded that **view **is. Take the context out of the scenario completely. Saying “this is the way it is, accept it or dont even come near it” is not a good outlook in any context. Thats what i was referencing. You can see this when I say “thats an awful outlook to have in life” I’m talking in general not specifics. I specified that before saying it.
You know I’m really not sure why you’re so personally affected by this. I don’t think there is anything wrong with asking questions and posing suggestions. I’d like to get other peoples opinion on the topic hence I posted it here. I don’t see any with that.
I saw a thread you started I think about shrubs and bushes for $15? I looked through this thread. First thing I thought was “wow… that looks amazing in that image.” The next thing I thought was… for $15… thats pretty effin awesome for a pack that looks like that. Then I thought… I wonder what the other assets look like in it." So then I read through and there wasn’t an asset list at all. There are some nice pics of some stuff here and there, and they look fantastic… but theres no asset list. Is its $15 for the one shrub? For the one shrub and the two plants?
Then there was mention that there would be no wind on the assets. How can you have foliage assets without wind? They won’t look right in a real-time environment. I would never have thought about that prior to buying, thankfully someone else did. Point being is, how can you have a price point already when you don’t have an asset list. How can the buyer know what they’re getting in the end? The images you posted look phenomenal. But regardless how amazing they look, does the buyer not have a right to know what they’re getting exactly?
You literally equated something we need to survive (prices of food) to hobbyist fun (prices of marketplace assets). That you’re not even honest with yourself in regards to this shows how disingenuous your initial line of questions was.
With all due respect to all AAA-professionals here: Are you actually really planning on making an equal living, or at least part of it, from UE market place than you would by working at a larger company or at least not as freelancer?
There are like hundreds of professionals. Tell me, why did they not have the same brilliant idea. Hundreds, thousands of people with your skills. Though, you are only clever ones…
In the end, you can take it for granted: The prices will go to Unity Asset Store level.
UE4 marketplace right now is really thin of products. A few more months, (hopefully finally) many more assets on it and $125 items will not sale anymore.
I do not see any reason why UE4 marketplace should be any different than Unity Asset store, unless you keep it ‘excusive’ like at the moment, i.e. almost nothing on it.
I searched for car, offroad cars…there is like…nothing.
The fact you act above or at a higher level them consumer regard shows that you hold your self in very high regard and above your buyer. You act snide really bad on here I notice it in all of your replies to things like this. You do realize that because you hold yourself at such a high demand and regard does not mean everyone else does? it seems like you are having a go at a consumer for not liking prices. what type of ego must one have for that?
Nope. I said your outlook on this is ridiculous. And it is.
You’re saying accept the market as it is or get out of here and dont look back.
So I say: well if it was food would you have the same outlook… if so then you accept everything in life as it is and you question nothing, you expect all others to do the same(so long as youre the one selling to them?). Of course until it affects YOU, then lets not talk about that outlook anymore, lets shift the focus my comparison?
If you truly believe in what you’re saying, prove your points with examples and reasons and I promise I will read them and listen to them man. But attacking me is not going to get my perspective swayed. Also keep in mind that I’m not saying anyone is ripping anyone off… far from it.
Not interested in arguing at all.
If something is priced too high, it will sale poorly and the maker will cut the price. If it’s currently selling well, why would they want to make it cheaper? It’s the Marketplace, not UNICEF
That is what aggravated me, you are a consumer so your opinion matters. but instead of listening and discussing it with you he attacks you and that is hwo you can tell he has no ideas of real life business because that is just not how it works. thats why imo the marketplace needs more competition, competition drives prices down and quality up. because you have to be better and cheaper then your opponent to get the most sales. but it i severely lacking that aspect and until it gets that I think there is going to be a good bit of over charging because everyone thinks there product is worth millions lol
