Epic Games today announced the launch of the Unreal Development Kit, a free edition of Unreal Engine 3 that provides community-driven access to one of the industry’s most popular game engines. This release is available to anyone interested in using or learning 3D game engine technology, including aspiring game developers, students, hobbyists, researchers, creators of 3D visualizations and simulations, digital filmmakers, or even your grandmother.
To make the deal even sweeter, Epic Games intends to update the Unreal Development Kit regularly so that it offers the same features, technological enhancements, and tools used in the most current version of the Unreal Engine. Denis Dyack will be very pleased!
Furthermore, while noncommercial and educational use of the Development Kit is free of charge, Epic has established licensing terms for those wishing to use it for commercial purposes. These terms have been structured to make it easy for independent developers, start-up studios, or even seasoned industry professionals gain access to to the tools with a minimal financial barrier.
The Unreal Development Kit is currently for PC only, but upon further inquiry, we learned that developers interested in making games for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 platforms may request further information by emailing udklicensing@epicgames.com.
Canada’s on the verge of becoming a videogame development superpower (if we’re not seen as such already), and learning to use these tools may be the easiest way to get your foot in the door.
Richard Mitchell is a video game addict living in Toronto. He has been gaming for more than two decades, and despite multiple interventions, continues to game today. He has an Xbox 360, a PS3, a Wii, a Nintendo DS, a gaming PC, and a life, and does his best to juggle them all.
“Denis Dyack will be very pleased!”
I thought the same thing!