Unreal Engine will receive a new price from Epic Games, but the new increase, although its implementation has been officially confirmed, will fulfill its promise to a group of users.

This promise is to keep prices the same for developers, as an announcement came during CEO Tim Sweeney's Unreal Fest 2023 conference last year that the company would begin charging fees for using the Unreal Engine outside of video game development.

The annual cost, according to the company's disclosure, will be US$1,850 per contractor, meaning companies will have to pay this amount annually for each employee using Unreal Engine, as Unreal Engine is used for a variety of non-gaming purposes. It's used by the media company Voltaku for a comic-based TV show and more, so the increase impacts several areas.

When Unreal Engine 5.4 launches in late April, developers working on video games will have the same conditions as before, meaning they can still use it for free. However, things will change when the first $1 million in revenue from any released product is reached, and $5 million will follow. $3 million in revenue will follow.

All companies operating outside of the gaming industry will need to obtain a “contract” license to continue operating without problems if they generate more than US$1 million in revenue.

Despite Epic Games' expected increase, it doesn't come at the expense of developers, as Unity saw when it insanely raised prices for all developers, leading to the company's retractions and subsequent stock drops and layoffs.