Game Engines: Rivals Unity and Epic Games Announce Cooperation

The two competing providers of Game engines, Unity and Epic Games, are entering into a surprising cooperation. This was announced at Unity's developer conference Unite. The partnership stipulates that Unity developers can integrate their games into Fortnite. In addition, Unity's Commerce platform will be opened up for Epic's Unreal Engine. The announcement was made at Unite with over 1,500 developers.

Specifically, developers will have the opportunity to publish their games created with the Unity engine in Fortnite. This will provide them with access to the Fortnite platform with over 500 million registered accounts and allow them to participate in the so-called "Fortnite Creator Economy" to monetize their content.

In return, Unity will open its cross-platform solution "Commerce" to developers using Epic's Unreal Engine. Starting early next year, they will be able to manage their digital catalogs, payment providers, and web shops across PC, mobile devices, and the web.

Partnership with Strategic Advantages

The announcement should be seen against the backdrop of recent developments at both companies. For Unity, the move is an opportunity to regain the trust of the developer community after the debate about the "Runtime Fee" and the subsequent change in leadership. The opening of the Fortnite ecosystem offers the large number of Unity developers a new, potentially high-reach distribution channel. At the same time, Unity is opening up a new revenue stream by opening its Commerce services.

For Epic Games and CEO Tim Sweeney, the cooperation fits into the long-standing strategy of creating an open, interoperable "metaverse." By opening up its own ecosystem to the competing engine, Epic strengthens Fortnite's position as a central platform that goes beyond a single game. Sweeney compared the move to the early days of the web and emphasized the need for collaboration for an "interoperable and fair" metaverse.

Technical and Financial Details Unclear

The companies did not disclose how the technical integration of Unity games into the Fortnite infrastructure, which is based on Unreal Engine, will be implemented. No details were given about the financial framework, such as the revenue split between developers, Unity, and Epic. Further details are expected next year.

(vza)