Epic entices devs to its store with lower Unreal Engine fees

Ever since Epic Games got into the PC storefront space, the Unreal Engine maker has continually tried to entice developers to release their games on its platform through exclusivity deals; reduced store fees and more. In another attempt to sweeten the pot, Epic has now lowered its Unreal Engine royalties – but with a price.

As part of Epic Games’ recent Unreal Fest event, the UE5 maker announced that it will be dropping its Unreal Engine royalty fees from its current 5% to 3.5% as long as the developer launches first on the Epic Games Store – or at the very least simultaneously with the likes of Steam.

Speaking on this change via a press release, the company stated, “On January 1, 2025 we are introducing ‘Launch Everywhere with Epic’. Through this program we are offering a royalty rate reduction from 5% to 3.5% on all platforms and stores for eligible Unreal Engine games published on the Epic Games Store from 2025 onwards. You are eligible for this rate reduction if you ship your game on the Epic Games Store before or at the same time you release it on other stores on corresponding platforms you support (PC, Mac, Android, and in the future, iOS).”

Interestingly, in a small dig at Apple, Epic clarified that “We are temporarily waiving the requirement that you simultaneously ship your iOS games on the Epic Games Store on iPhones or iPads to receive the royalty rate reduction. This is because Apple currently imposes a commercially prohibitive ‘Core Technology Fee' on apps that ship on stores that compete with their store.”

As mentioned, Epic Games has employed a number of tactics to try and get more devs to publish titles on their store front. Fortunately, this seems to be to the benefit of developers for now. We will have to wait and see how impactful this new change is.

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