[GDC 2014] Unity 5.0 Announced, Unreal Engine Wants Indie Developers

The Game Developer Conference brought some good news for indie developers. Unity introduced a new version of its video game framework and Epic Games announced a change in the license fee of Unreal engine, a change made with indie developers in mind.

Unity 5.0 was announced by Unity CEO, David Helgason. New version comes with direct-to-web, plugin-free publishing. The games developed with Unity will can be played in the browser via WebGL standard. We can say goodbye to Unity WebPlayer plugin, in a few months it won’t be necessary.

Furthermore, the new version of Unity will include some interesting features like a new audio system and a new shader system. Unity 5.0 will be also better at using multithreaded processors. Unity 4.3 was the first version that included native 2D support. The 2D engine has been improved and the next version of the framework will include an upgraded 2D engine.

Before Unity 5.0 arrive, the engineers will release Unity 4.6, the last version of the 4.x branch. Unity 4.6 will include the GUI system developers have been requested for a while.

However, Unity left integration of the Applifier technology for future updates. Last week, the company adquired the GameAds advertisement network and Everplay, a social video sharing service, from Applifier. The 5.x branch will include these services, but for now, developers should continue using the plugins already exists.

Epic Games Targets Indie Developers

Tim Sweeney, Epic Games co-founder, announced a new license system for it’s most popular product: Unreal Engine. Now, developers can use the engine for $19 a month. The suscription grants full access to UDK and other development tools from Epic Games as well.

Unreal Engine 4 Demo

Besides the suscription, developers should pay 5% of the profits they get for every game made using Unreal Engine 4. Nevertheless, Sweeney said this royalty can be negotiated.

With this license fee change, Epic Games seeks to attract indie developers. Unity is nowadays one of the most popular framework among indie developers due to its powerful engine and the multiplatform compatibility Unity offers.

Unreal Engine 4 allows developers to export their games to Windows, Mac OS X, iOS and Android. Unity allows developers to bring their games to that platforms and also Blackberry 10 Pro, GNU/Linux and to the web using the Unity WebPlayer plugin.

The Unity Pro license cost $1,500 if the developer wants to buy it. But there is also a subscription program available, which cost 75 $ per month.