Greetings everyone,
I’ve been trying to reach Epic Games through various channels and support tickets, but I’ve been redirected multiple times, ultimately landing with the License Priced Support team, which I can’t even fill out due to not meeting the requirements.
I’m hoping someone here, perhaps a publisher, could help verify the validity of the following statements.
Information I’d like to verify:
- Single Retail Crowdfunding Key:
- All benefactors that supported the project via crowdfunding and reached a certain tier for example (Bronze, Silver, Gold) would receive a single crowdfunding key to the game.
- This key will not be counted as a sale for Unreal Engine royalties as it’s a key gifted to benefactors.
- Separate Beta Keys:
- It is permissible to provide separate beta keys for each tier, which could unlock specific in-game content (e.g., cosmetics), nothing that would give any player any in-game advantage.
- If these beta keys are provided as part of the crowdfunding rewards for free, they won’t count as sales.
- Summary:
- Offering different crowdfunding tiers with one retail key plus separate beta keys for specific rewards should be acceptable.
- Both the retail key and beta keys provided through the crowdfunding campaign will not be considered sales under Unreal Engine’s royalty program, provided they are given for free and not sold.
- Additional Information:
- Benefactor investments or contributions made during the crowdfunding campaign should not count toward the Unreal Engine royalty threshold.
Relevant Links:
Unreal Engine EULA: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/eula/unreal
Royalties FAQ: https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/faq + https://www.unrealengine.com/en-US/release
Additional Context:
I realize there may not be specific documentation around crowdfunding in the context of Unreal Engine, but I would appreciate any guidance or confirmation regarding these points.
- Unfortunately my country does not allow funds from websites like Kickstarter and others.
- However I would like to thank the few benefactors that believe in the project by giving out a Crowdfunding Key + Beta Key (Branch of the Game) with additional Cosmetic Items.
- I’m just trying to understand if this is within policy or if it still counts towards the Royalty program (as I’m not selling anything, rather just rewarding the benefactors).
Epic Game Support however doesn’t provide any answer and only redirects me to pre-existing indexes where my inquiries cannot be answered.
Thank you for your assistance or possible reply.
Best Regards.
Rafael Antunes
Sole Developer of Abysmal Gateway