Epic Games is a massive game developer and publisher that creates games (Fortnite being the big one), The Unreal game engine, and other software for the creation of games. Sketchfab is a 10-year-old tech company that specializes in 3D modeling software that you can interface through a web browser. Sketchfab also has a storefront that lets developers buy and sell 3D models for various applications--one of those being game development.

Epic has purchased Sketchfab for an undisclosed sum. Epic didn't reveal any special plans for Sketchfab (although it did mention an “interconnected Metaverse”) and it seems like Sketchfab will continue operating and offering its services to whoever is willing to pay for them. The only difference is that Sketchfab will now take a smaller cut of all 3D models sold on its platform.

“The Sketchfab team has done an incredible job opening up the world of 3D content on the web and enabling anyone to edit and publish content online,” said Epic's Unreal Engine VP and general manager Marc Petit. “As the adoption of real-time 3D technology continues to grow, demand for web-based solutions will only increase. We are excited to work together with the Sketchfab team to empower even more creators.”

If you've never heard of Sketchfab, that's likely because you don't work with 3D models on the regular, but if you did, you'd probably use Sketchfab. Its web-based platform makes it easy to upload, edit, and sell 3D models and even embed them in browsers so people can have a look-see. Sketchfab is integrated "across every major 3D creation tool and publishing platform" and is "compatible with all major browsers and operating systems."

And that's not going to change just because the company got bought out by Epic. Sketchfab will continue to support everything it can, including Epic's competitors like Unity. Sketchfab will also get cheaper, reducing its store fee for developers from 30% to 12% (just like the Epic Games Store), and upgrading all Sketchfab Plus subscribers to Sketchfab Pro for free. They'll also increase everyone's upload file size limits and give more uploads per month.



Posted: Jul 23, 2021 8:01 am
Related Forum: PC Gaming Forum

Source: https://www.thegamer.com/epic-games-acquires-Sketchfab/