Unity Technologies just released the Unity 5 game engine, with support for 21 platforms, royalty-free.
The first week of March is shaping up to be a great one for anyone interested in game design technology. After yesterday’s announcement that Unreal Engine 4 was being released for free, Unity Technologies unveiled its own major announcement – the global release of Unity 5. Unity was already one of the most popular licensed game engines to begin with, but the latest edition expands its functionality with graphics upgrades, a new audio mixer, and 21 supported platforms. And if that’s not enough, you can download the royalty-free personal edition – with all the engines features – right now for free.
Unity 5’s release was announced at GDC, where CEO John Riccitiello and a host of speakers discussed its features. According to Riccitiello, the current build includes 57 pages of release notes, but there are a few key highlights that will be significant to developers. Unity 5 will be a graphics powerhouse, complete with new advanced lighting and physics support. It will also include a feature rich editor, including a detailed audio mixer. Perhaps most importantly, Unity 5 will support more platforms than ever, including WebGL browsers without requiring an additional plugin.
Unity 5 can be licensed on a personal or professional plans, both of which include the full engine. The Personal edition is intended for projects with revenue and/or funding below $100,000 dollars – ideal for students, hobby developers, or first-time indies. Stepping up to the professional level includes a team license, beta and preview access, Unity Cloud Build Pro, Unity Asset Store Level 11 deals, and more. Neither license plan includes royalty fees, a feature distinguishing it from the recently release Unreal Engine 4.
Source: Unity
