Epic first announced its affordable $19 monthly fee for Unreal Engine 4 in 2014, which can be used to make games for the Mac, the iPhone and the iPad, among other platforms. So why is it ditching this revenue stream? Epic stated:
The past year has been a whirlwind for everyone at Epic Games. Our community has grown tremendously. The quality and variety of creative work being done has been breathtaking. When we asked people to submit their projects to be shown this year at GDC, we had the challenge of picking just 8 from over 100 finalists that were all good enough to show.
The state of Unreal is strong, and we've realized that as we take away barriers, more people are able to fulfill their creative visions and shape the future of the medium we love. That's why we're taking away the last barrier to entry, and going free.
Any developers who had signed up for the old paid subscription fee will get a $30 credit that can be spent in the Unreal Engine Marketplace for purchasing additional content.
Source: Epic Games
