An Epic Games ArtStation acquisition has been announced and it has an immediate boon for creators on the platform: ArtStation's fees are being reduced from 30% to 12% and Pro members are getting even greater benefits.
Epic Games is the company behind Fortnite and the Unreal Engine. These days, most people probably know them for running the Epic Games Store, thanks in part to the fat stacks of cash it's been bringing in from Fortnite's wild success. Epic has used its coffers to secure exclusivity deals for games on its storefront and to give away a handful of free games every week.
That's not all Epic has been using the money for, though; it has been steadily snapping up companies related to the gaming industry, tangentially or otherwise. For example, it purchased the facial animation company hyprsense late last year, right as the Vtuber phenomenon was really picking up steam. One of this year's bigger acquisitions was the purchase of Fall Guys developer Mediatonic. Now, it's purchased one of the biggest artist websites in the world: ArtStation.
How the Epic Games ArtStation Acquisition is Good for Artists
The Epic Games ArtStation acquisition is ultimately a pretty good deal for creators on the platform for two reasons: ArtStation Learning is being made free for the rest of the year and it's also reducing its revenue share for marketplace items.
Let's start with ArtStating Learning — this is a collection of tutorials on all sorts of topics, ranging from just a few minutes to several hours in length. Want to learn how to create real-time visual effects in Unreal Engine through the use of Substance Designer? They've got you covered. Want to learn how to sculpt in the 3D program Blender? There's a tutorial for that, too. This service was previously a premium experience; now, it will be available to everyone for free for the remainder of 2021.
The biggest win of all, however, is for the creators (amateurs and professionals alike) who are selling their wares on the platform. ArtStation revenue share is being cut across the board. ArtStation standard fees are being reduced from 30% to 12%, bringing it in line with the Epic Game Store's lower revenue share. As for Pro Members, the fee has been reduced from 20% to 8%; self-promoted sales, on the other hand, have been reduced all the way down to a 5% revenue share.
What about the site itself, though? Are there going to be any big changes? As far as ArtStation says, we don't have anything to worry about on that front.
"ArtStation will remain an independently branded platform owned by Epic Games and will continue its mission to empower creators to thrive," read the news post announcing the Epic Games ArtStation acquisition. "You can still use the platform as you do today, and we will continue to be open to all creators, across verticals, both 2D and 3D alike – including those that don’t use Unreal Engine."
What do you think of the Epic Games ArtStation acquisition? Do you have any concerns about Epic Games snapping up a bunch of companies over the last few years? Let us know in the comments below!
