Sweeney: Free UE4 ‘keeps us honest’

Making Unreal Engine 4 free for developers helps keep Epic honest and aligns its interests with developers, says Tim Sweeney.

Speaking at GDC yesterday, the Epic CEO explained that Epic will take a five per cent share of revenue for games that make more than $3,000 per quarter.

He admitted that, despite the free entry point, Epic was asking for a lot from developers, but said it was also offering a lot in return, such as the full source code.

"Some people have said you’re asking for an awful lot. That’s true, we are asking for a lot," said Sweeney.

"But in exchange we’re handing over everything."

He added: "It’s a business model that aligns our interests precisely with developers.

"And it’s a business model that keeps us honest and will only succeed if developers are using it."

Following the announcement that UE4 was going free, we asked a number of developers for their thoughts on the move and what it means to them.

For more GDC 2015 news, head to www.develop-onlinet.net/gdc