Epic Games at Unreal Fest 2024: Unreal Engine 5.5 and New Creator Tools
Unreal Fest 2024 in Seattle brought a wave of excitement for developers, creators, and gaming enthusiasts.
Unreal Fest 2024, held in Seattle, brought together developers, creators, and gaming enthusiasts to explore Epic Games’ latest innovations. With exciting new features in Unreal Engine, Unreal Editor for Fortnite (UEFN), and the Epic Games Store, Epic Games made clear its goal to make high-quality game development more accessible. Here’s a look at the key announcements from the event, which included Unreal Engine 5.5 advancements and collaborations with brands like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Unreal Engine 5.5: Pushing Real-Time Rendering to New Heights
The release of Unreal Engine 5.5 Preview 1 includes powerful features for creating 3D content with high fidelity. MegaLights, a key addition, enables thousands of dynamic lights to work in real time. Epic demonstrated its capabilities by running scenes with over 1,000 lights on PlayStation 5, achieving realistic shadows and fog. The update also introduces:
Nanite Skeletal Meshes: Enables faster rendering of character animations.
Production-ready Path Tracer: Already used in high-end film projects.
Enhanced Animation Tools: Adds features like Skeletal Editor and Animation Layers for character design.
SMPTE 2110 Integration: Elevates Unreal’s use in virtual production for TV and film.
These tools make Unreal Engine 5.5 a top choice for developers and filmmakers looking to create intricate, realistic environments with enhanced detail.
Launch Everywhere with Epic: Reducing Royalties for Developers
A major announcement was Epic’s Launch Everywhere with Epic, which lowers Unreal Engine’s royalty rate from 5% to 3.5% for games launched on the Epic Games Store. This reduction applies across PC, Mac, Android, and future iOS releases. This initiative helps developers retain more revenue, supporting growth across multiple platforms.
Fab: A New Marketplace for Digital Assets
Epic also introduced Fab, a new digital asset marketplace that consolidates resources from Unreal Engine Marketplace, Sketchfab, ArtStation, and Quixel. Offering an 88/12 revenue split, Fab is a unified platform for creators to buy, sell, and discover digital assets. The Fab Publishing Portal is live, enabling developers to upload and migrate content easily.
UEFN Expansions with New IPs and Gameplay Modes
UEFN continues to grow, with over 134,000 islands published and nearly $479 million earned by creators since 2023. Epic introduced several exciting updates:
First-Person Camera Mode: Allows more flexible gameplay styles, including shooter games.
TMNT Collaboration: Adds Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles assets, templates, and characters in Fortnite worlds.
With partnerships like TMNT, LEGO, and Fall Guys, UEFN provides creators a wide range of tools to design fan-driven experiences.
Unreal Engine’s Expanding Impact in Automotive and Entertainment
Unreal Fest demonstrated how Unreal Engine reaches beyond gaming into industries like automotive and film. Qualcomm showcased an in-vehicle HMI (Human-Machine Interface) solution that uses Unreal Engine with Snapdragon, enhancing user experiences in vehicles. In the entertainment sector, Magnopus CEO Ben Grossmann highlighted Unreal Engine’s role in productions such as the Fallout TV series and Karol G’s Fortnite Festival, showing its impact on virtual events and real-time production.
Epic for Indies: Resources for Indie Developers
To support indie creators, Epic launched the Epic for Indies hub, a resource offering tutorials, learning libraries, and community forums. This platform helps indie developers grow and scale projects, reinforcing Epic’s commitment to a supportive development community.
Conclusion: A Vision for Accessible Virtual Entertainment
Unreal Fest 2024 confirmed Epic Games’ dedication to equipping developers with advanced tools and resources. With Unreal Engine 5.5’s capabilities and the new Launch Everywhere royalty structure, Epic is creating a more accessible future for game development. As Unreal’s ecosystem expands, creators in gaming, film, and beyond have limitless opportunities to explore immersive experiences.
Stay tuned.....
-
Edward Regue | Philosopher of Web3 | My Third Space