Fab, Epic Games new universal game development content marketplace was first announced back at GDC 2023 and it has been mostly radio silence since then. Today Epic Games have released a major update about Fab as well as the future of their other online markets the Unreal Marketplace, SketchFab, Quixel and ArtStation.
Key details from the announcement:
We’re excited to share that Fab will launch in mid-October. Fab will be a one-stop destination where you can discover, buy, sell, and share assets. It will offer an 88/12 revenue share that puts creators first, enabling them to build real, sustainable businesses on Fab.
At launch Fab will support the following features:
- Multi-engine, multi-platform support, offering content compatible with multiple game engines including Unreal Engine and Unity (with more to come!), and dozens of digital content creation tools, such as Blender, Maya, Cinema 4D, and Adobe Substance 3D.
- Wide variety of asset types with 3D models, 2D assets for game engines, environments, audio, tools, and plugins in multiple formats.
- Unreal Engine and UEFN integrations so creators can access Fab content without leaving the editor, making it easy to bring assets directly into their projects.
- Next-generation real-time 3D viewer, enabling creators to inspect 3D assets and giving publishers the tools to easily present their work in real-time 3D.
- Powerful search and discovery tools so that creators can find the file formats or assets they’re looking for quickly, at the right price, and under their preferred license.
- Multiple license types with tiered pricing for Standard Licenses enabling sellers to make products available to purchase at different price points for personal or professional use.
- AI transparency, allowing creators to control whether their products can be used to train generative AI programs, requiring sellers to clearly state if their products were created with the help of generative AI programs, and assurance that Epic will not use, or make deals with others to use creators’ content to train generative AI programs.
So what does this mean for existing Unreal Engine developers?
Fab will fully replace Unreal Engine Marketplace. By joining Fab and migrating your products, you can upgrade your listings to include additional file formats, new licensing options, and a real-time 3D preview in each product’s media gallery. While all product star ratings will migrate over from Unreal Engine Marketplace, Fab will not support open-text reviews or questions sections.
The launch of Fab is going to have massive impacts on Quixel, ArtStation and SketchFab as well.
SketchFab:
When Fab launches, it will replace the Sketchfab Store and you will no longer be able to buy or sell assets on the Sketchfab Store. Fab will release a tool early next month to help Sketchfab creators migrate their models to Fab in advance of Fab’s October launch. Both Creative Commons and Standard-licensed models will be eligible for migration; other license types, such as the Editorial license, will not be eligible for migration. Once you migrate your work to Fab, you will have access to an improved 3D viewer and editor, media galleries, expanded payout options, and the ability to set prices for Personal and Professional license tiers. While all product star ratings will migrate over from Sketchfab, Fab will not support open-text reviews or model comments.
ArtStation:
The ArtStation Marketplace will migrate to Fab in 2025 while ArtStation continues its mission of empowering artists by providing an easy way to showcase their portfolios, learn new skills, and connect with a wide network of career opportunities. We will release a migration tool next year to enable sellers on ArtStation Marketplace to easily move their products over to Fab. All other parts of ArtStation (portfolios, Prints, etc.) will remain where they are and will not move to Fab.
And finally Quixel, which is by far the most impacted:
When Fab launches, Quixel Megascans content will move from Quixel.com and Bridge to Fab, and be available through the Fab website and Fab’s Unreal Engine and UEFN integrations.
In 2025, we will begin charging for Quixel Megascans to support the ongoing improvement, curation and development of new Megascans content. While we will continue to offer some content for free, the majority of Megascans will no longer be available for free unlimited use in Unreal Engine projects.
From Fab launch until the end of 2024, Megascans will be free for everyone under Fab’s Standard License, for all engines and tools. When you acquire Quixel content on Fab – whether free or paid – you can use it forever.
So it is very important to note that soon Quixel Megascans will no longer be completely free to Unreal Engine developers. However, the entire Quixel catalog will be made available for free until the end of the year and you will be able to keep your purchases forever.
Key Links
You can learn more about the launch of Fab and the changes to Quixel, Sketchfab and ArtStation in the video below.