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Epic Games has announced a new pricing structure<\/a> for non-game developers to use its Unreal Engine, after teasing the change last year<\/a>. The Fortnite<\/em> developer will charge an annual \u201cper seat\u201d subscription of $1,850. The term \u201cper seat\u201d is tech nomenclature<\/a> that effectively means \u201ca person using the software.\u201d These changes will go into effect with the release of Unreal Engine 5.4 in late April.<\/p>\n Though Unreal Engine is primarily known as a game development tool, it\u2019s regularly used in a diverse array of industries, which is where this pricing structure comes in. Companies that make linear content, like TV shows and movies, will have to cough up that $1,850 fee, as will organizations that develop in-car infotainment platforms and immersive experiences, like theme park rides. Currently, Epic makes no money from the majority of these users, as the end products aren’t, as Sweeney put it<\/a> last year, “royalty-bearing.”<\/p>\n The annual fee provides these users with access to the Unreal Engine itself, the Twinmotion real-time visualization tool and the company\u2019s RealityCapture 3D modeling software. However, organizations can purchase standalone licenses for each. Twinmotion will cost $445 per year and RealityCapture will cost $1,250 each year.<\/p>\n There are some exclusions here. Companies that make less than $1 million in annual gross revenue won\u2019t have to pay the fee. The same goes for students, educators and hobbyists. Companies that develop plug-ins for the Unreal Engine can continue to use the software for free, but Epic will take a cut via its revenue share model.<\/p>\n Epic\u2019s real bread and butter, game developers, will continue to have access to Unreal Engine for free, only paying a five percent royalty on software that earns over $1 million in lifetime gross revenue. Epic extended the royalty-free cutoff from $50,000 to $1 million back in 2020<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n