Unreal® Engine EULA Change Log

EULA update 20:

• Adds a new reduced royalty rate of 3.5% for products that qualify as a “Launch Everywhere with Epic Release”
• Provides a definition for “Launch Everywhere with Epic Release”
• Renames the “Notice of Distribution” as a “Release Form” and removes the requirement to submit a Release Form as as a condition to being entitled to the $1,000,000 lifetime gross revenue royalty exclusion
• Though previously not a permitted use; adds express language against use of the Licensed Technology as a training input or prompt-based input into Generative AI Programs

EULA update 19:

• Clarifies what licensees owe for different uses of Unreal Engine
• Provides detail on Seat Subscription requirements
• Updates Epic's audit right to include right to audit seat compliance
• Changes governing law to New York
• Implements language and structural changes for clarity and continuity

EULA update 18:

• Updates the requirement to submit a “Notice of Distribution” for a Royalty Product as a condition to being entitled to the $1,000,000 lifetime gross revenue royalty exclusion.

EULA update 17:

• Combines "Unreal Engine End User License Agreement for Publishing" and "Unreal Engine End User License Agreement for Creators" into a single agreement.
• Implements broad language and structural changes to improve clarity.
• Clarifies use cases where no royalty is due to Epic in the Royalty-Free Distribution section.
• Moves all royalty terms to the Royalty Addendum to address use cases where royalty is due to Epic.
• Removes license to Content (other than that provided as part of Unreal Engine installation). Content is now licensed under the Epic Content License Agreement.
• Recategorizes revenue collected by end-user sellers of in-game content as royalty-bearing.

EULA update 16:

• Renames “Unrestricted Products” to “Non-Engine Products.”
  • Modifies "Non-Engine Products" to remove restriction on distribution of products that rely on Content to run.
  • Adds clarifying examples of Non-Engine Products.
• Removes Term and Termination section.

EULA update 15:

• Adds two new royalty exclusions:
  • Licensees are not required to pay royalties on the first $1,000,000 in lifetime gross revenue per Product.
  • Licensees are not required to pay royalties on gross revenue earned in a calendar quarter during which a Product earns less than $10,000.
• Removes $3,000 quarterly royalty exclusion.

EULA update 14:

• Changes title of agreement from “UNREAL® ENGINE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT” to “UNREAL® ENGINE END USER LICENSE AGREEMENT FOR PUBLISHING” in response to retirement of Unreal Studio. See more info here.
• Clarifies permitted uses of UE-Only Content.
• Removes restrictions on use of Licensed Technology (a) in lawful gambling-related Products/activities and (b) for operation of nuclear facilities, aircraft navigation, aircraft communication systems or air traffic control machines, or for military use in connection with live combat.
• Clarifies that revenue from streaming, subscription, or other game-delivery services are subject to royalty.
• Adds royalty exclusion for Location-Based Experiences.
• Requires credit to Unreal Engine and Epic Games only to the extent a Product has credits.

EULA update 13:

• Removes restrictions on distribution of products made using the Licensed Technology that do not contain any portion of the Licensed Technology and do not require the Licensed Technology to run.
• Adds a royalty exclusion for amounts received from end-user buyers by end-user sellers of in-game items or content.

EULA update 12:

• Adds sub-section formatting to Section 1 (License Grant) for ease of use.
• Clarifies restrictions on non-C++ language integration distribution and Robo Recall.

EULA update 11:

• Adds support for Robo Recall modding.

EULA update 10:

• Adds additional royalty exclusion for up to $5 million in gross revenue from the Oculus Store, but removes royalty exclusion for coin-operated arcade games.
• Introduces per-seat paid plug-in licensing to the Marketplace, as well as the concept of pass-through Marketplace licensing (where content is displayed on and linked from the Marketplace, but purchasing and licensing occurs directly with the seller).

EULA update 9:

• Clarifies linear media royalty exclusion as well as rights for Marketplace Content rights for academic licenses and uncooked game build distributions.
• Modifies export law compliance section in connection with expanding permitted countries list.

EULA update 8:

• Removes subscription concept to coincide with free access.
• Permits marketplace access for licensees with a custom engine license.
• Clarifies requirements for editor redistribution.
• Confirms that product donations are not royalty bearing.
• Permits limited re-use by licensee of Unreal Tournament code contributions.

EULA update 7:

• Clarifies distribution rules on non-C++ programming language integrations and the linear mediaroyalty exclusion.

EULA update 6:

• Introduces distribution rules on non-C++ programming language integrations.
• Addresses non-transferability of product codes.
• Clarifies royalty exclusion on linear media.

EULA update 5:

• Permits licensees to distribute Premium Assets to their employees and contractors for the limitedpurpose of developing licensees’ Products, but prohibits doing so to circumvent Asset distribution limitations.
• Clarifies that while licensees have an on-going license to Engine Code or Assets they have legally downloaded, Epic has no obligation to continue to make such Engine Code or Assets available for future download.
• Introduces UE-Only Assets, which if so marked in the Marketplace, can only be used in connection with the Engine Code.
• Re-names Submissions as Contributions.

EULA update 4:

• Introduction of Premium Asset concept to cover paid Marketplace content. Once paid, licensees have the same rights with Premium Assets as with free Assets, but it is important to note that Premium Assets are licensed on a per seat basis (i.e., licensees can only share Premium Assets with other licensees who have already purchased them).
• Removes of general restriction on military use, but the prohibition on use in connection with live combat remains.
• Redefines Unreal Tournament Content to include Unreal Tournament game code. Licensees are permitted to use Unreal Tournament game code as part of the Unreal Tournament project, but cannot use it in their own projects.
• Adds libraries to the Academic Institution license.

EULA update 3:

• More precise explanation of when a licensee tool is considered to be based on Engine Tools.
• Limited license to use Unreal series copyrighted content to create Submissions for the new Unreal Tournament project.
• Notice of Engine Code collecting anonymous hardware and usage data from Product end users by default and sending to Epic, and permission for licensees to turn this functionality off.
• Expands Example Code definition to include Content Examples in the Marketplace.
• Clarification that using code or content with the engine, without making it available to Epic, does not constitute a Submission.

EULA update 2:

• Licensees are now permitted to publicly distribute Example Code (code in the Samples and Templates folders). This is an exception to the rule prohibiting distribution of Source Code publicly.
• Licensees are now permitted to post Source Code snippets up to 30 lines in lengths on public forums for discussion purposes.
• Adds the following exceptions to licensees’ royalty obligation:
  • Licensees are not required to pay royalties on the first $3,000 in gross revenue per Product per quarter.
    • If Product revenue is less than $3,000 in a quarter, licensee is not required to report revenue for that Product.
  • Financial winnings from awards.