I just got caught up with GDC and was wondering if someone could explain the new UE4 licensing procedure.
$20/month + 5% royalty fee is very different than what we saw in UE3.
What if a game was to be non-commercial? Would a license still be need?
Is the $20/month for as long as you use the engine or does it end after… say one year?
Lastly, what do you guys think? With Cryengine only being $9.99 and Unity $1,500 lump sum (or $75/month) is UE really the best option?
I was always an avid UDK uses. I set it above Cryengine and Unity on my list for its easy of use as well as being cheap for a big-name engine.
Now I’m not so sure…
UDK was free because it was quite limitied, here you got access practicly to everything that full licenced developer has (except consoles support) and you getting all the hottest features, so you paying for that support, regardless you going noncommertial or not, compired to UDK had to offer this is a hell lot of better. Also you can pay once get the engine and cancel and work for free on version you have.
The $20 p/m can be cancelled right after you’ve paid to subscribe. However, you will not get any future updates, which I’m hoping will come in quite a lot early after the release, so I would recommend keeping subscribed if you can afford it. If you do cancel though and release a game using UE4, your are still obligated to pay the 5% royalty fees.
Also, the CryEngine vs Unity vs UE4 is kind of up and down in my view. People who used UDK will prefer UE4 straight off the bat, people who use Unity currently (myself included), would obviously want to pay less, but I’m not sure CryEngine would necessarily suit our needs as some people have mentioned it being more complex to use, although they are just peoples opinions.
Also, I don’t believe CryEngine will be doing their new subscription packages till May this year so you could always pay $20 now and see how you find UE4 before deciding whether you would want to try CryEngine. With pricing structures and quality, at the moment I put both engines above Unity.