A powerful piece of software called Unreal Engine is quietly becoming one of the most important tools in modern digital creation. While it began as technology for video games, it is now used in films, television, architecture, and even news graphics.
The engine was first created in 1998 for the game Unreal by Tim Sweeney, who later became the head of Epic Games, the company behind the global hit Fortnite.
At the time, most gaming companies built their own private game engines. Epic did something unusual by allowing other developers to use Unreal Engine. A game engine controls many parts of a digital world, including graphics, sound, physics, and how characters move.
Over the years, the engine has become known for its power and ease of use. Today it is used in major titles such as Black Myth: Wukong and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Future games in the Tomb Raider series will also be built with Unreal Engine. According to Scot Amos, using the engine helps studios work faster and reach a larger pool of developers who already know how to use it.
Instead of training staff on a custom internal system, developers can use the widely known engine right away. This saves both time and money.
The popularity of Unreal Engine has grown rapidly. Data from Sensor Tower shows that about 28 percent of PC games released in 2024 were built using Unreal Engine.
Experts say the engine’s appeal comes from how quickly it produces impressive results. According to Brice Roy, even a basic project can look visually strong almost immediately because many technical features are already built into the system.
But Unreal Engine is no longer just for games.
The technology has also been used in architecture design, car navigation systems, and television graphics. In the entertainment world, it helped power visual production in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian and the Oscar-winning short film War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko.
At Epic Games, hundreds of people now work full-time on improving the engine. The platform has more than one million monthly users, making it a major part of the company’s business.
One reason for its success is its business model. Developers can use Unreal Engine for free and only pay Epic a five-percent royalty if their game earns more than $1 million in revenue. Companies in other industries usually pay about $1,800 per user per year once they pass that same revenue level.
The software has also become popular with online creators. Many YouTubers and digital artists use it to build backgrounds, animations, and visual scenes for videos.
However, some experts warn that if too many creators rely on the same tool, digital content could start to look too similar. Games built with Unreal Engine often share a recognizable visual style.
Even so, Epic Games has much bigger plans for the technology. The company is exploring ways to support massive multiplayer worlds, where up to 100,000 players could interact across enormous digital maps.
Artificial intelligence is also being added to the platform. Future versions of Unreal Engine may include tools that can automatically generate 3D objects or help complete development tasks, making digital creation even faster.A powerful piece of software called Unreal Engine is quietly becoming one of the most important tools in modern digital creation. While it began as technology for video games, it is now used in films, television, architecture, and even news graphics.
The engine was first created in 1998 for the game Unreal by Tim Sweeney, who later became the head of Epic Games, the company behind the global hit Fortnite.
At the time, most gaming companies built their own private game engines. Epic did something unusual by allowing other developers to use Unreal Engine. A game engine controls many parts of a digital world, including graphics, sound, physics, and how characters move.
Over the years, the engine has become known for its power and ease of use. Today it is used in major titles such as Black Myth: Wukong and Clair Obscur: Expedition 33.
Future games in the Tomb Raider series will also be built with Unreal Engine. According to Scot Amos, using the engine helps studios work faster and reach a larger pool of developers who already know how to use it.
Instead of training staff on a custom internal system, developers can use the widely known engine right away. This saves both time and money.
The popularity of Unreal Engine has grown rapidly. Data from Sensor Tower shows that about 28 percent of PC games released in 2024 were built using Unreal Engine.
Experts say the engine’s appeal comes from how quickly it produces impressive results. According to Brice Roy, even a basic project can look visually strong almost immediately because many technical features are already built into the system.
But Unreal Engine is no longer just for games.
The technology has also been used in architecture design, car navigation systems, and television graphics. In the entertainment world, it helped power visual production in the Star Wars series The Mandalorian and the Oscar-winning short film War Is Over! Inspired by the Music of John & Yoko.
At Epic Games, hundreds of people now work full-time on improving the engine. The platform has more than one million monthly users, making it a major part of the company’s business.
One reason for its success is its business model. Developers can use Unreal Engine for free and only pay Epic a five-percent royalty if their game earns more than $1 million in revenue. Companies in other industries usually pay about $1,800 per user per year once they pass that same revenue level.
The software has also become popular with online creators. Many YouTubers and digital artists use it to build backgrounds, animations, and visual scenes for videos.
However, some experts warn that if too many creators rely on the same tool, digital content could start to look too similar. Games built with Unreal Engine often share a recognizable visual style.
Even so, Epic Games has much bigger plans for the technology. The company is exploring ways to support massive multiplayer worlds, where up to 100,000 players could interact across enormous digital maps.
Artificial intelligence is also being added to the platform. Future versions of Unreal Engine may include tools that can automatically generate 3D objects or help complete development tasks, making digital creation even faster.
