CRYENGINE is changing, but what does that mean for you? We summarized the most important changes to our new business model and talk about when royalties apply and what you can do to file your game for an exemption.

With the launch of CRYENGINE 5.5 we announced a new 5% royalty-based model to support ongoing investment into the engine and ecosystem. The 5% threshold, which only kicks in after $5,000 of revenue is raised when working with the latest version of the engine, offers developer studios of all sizes the opportunity to achieve their vision and means success stories will contribute directly to making the engine better for everyone.

We also understand that projects are already underway on legacy versions of CRYENGINE, which is why we have also announced a royalty-exemption program for developers.

How to apply for royalty-exemption

If you are currently developing on CRYENGINE 5.4 or below you can apply for a royalty exemption until 30 June 2018. Please state your wish to continue to work under the previous Pay What You Want model by filling out the Game Registration Form and tick the respective box to opt out of royalties. We will let you know when your application for an exemption has been accepted.

You can only register one project per studio for royalty exemption. However, if you wish to register more, we will evaluate each application on a case-by-case basis depending on the circumstances. For example, if you are working for a studio that develops with CRYENGINE and you register your game under your name, but you have a private project on the side, please get in touch and we will appraise the situation as part of the application. You can find out more information in our FAQ.

Enterprise Tier exemptions

In addition to rolling out the new business model, we offer an Enterprise Tier for CRYENGINE that allows development teams a wide range of custom support and royalty exemptions while developing on the latest version of CRYENGINE. If you would like to find out more, click through to our Enterprise Licensing Solution page where you can get in touch with our Business Development Team.

Did you know?

Registering your game before a monetized release is mandatory, no matter if you file for royalty-exemption or not. Nothing new here, as this was the case before we updated the business model as well. But we changed the process and now there's more in it for you. Help us to help you with promoting your game! Opt in for Marketing Support now to have a chance to be chosen for a Community Spotlight on our blog and get support through our social media channels.

As always any questions, concerns, comments, just let us know on the CRYENGINE official forum, Facebook, Twitter, Discord or Slack!

- Your CRYENGINE Team