The powerful up and coming 3D game engine Flax just released version 1.7. Flax is an excellent alternative for Unity developers although it shared the same limitation Unity did, as recently exposed by the runtime changes scandal, the license could be updated at any time! Thankfully with Flax 1.7 perhaps the biggest improvement has nothing to do with the engine, but instead updates to the licensing terms:
Flax Engine End-User License Agreement (EULA) has been updated to be less strict in certain areas. We believe that the current revenue-share-based model acts well and is a fair price for the engine with the tools we provide (4% of gross revenue above $250,000 per calendar quarter). However, we wanted to loosen licensing terms in favor of our users. The following changes were made:
- Removed ability to revoke or terminate the license.
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Term and Terminationhas been removed. We won’t be able to cancel the license from anyone.
- Added limitation on a maximum of one license modification per calendar quarter.
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Amendments to this Agreementhas been updated to limit possible EULA modifications to once per calendar quarter (as opposed to an unlimited amount of amendments before). For the past 3 years, we’ve updated EULA only twice: both times in favor of our users. We’re committed to stable licensing terms that bring more trust to our clients.
- Added ability to keep using previous EULA version when it’s amended.
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Amendments to this Agreementhas been updated to allow users to continue using the previous EULA version without a need to accept the new one as long as you keep using engine and tools version from before the license update. For example, if you start developing a game with Flax 1.7 using the current EULA and the license gets modified during your project development (eg. within the next 2 years) then optionally you can stay on the latest Flax version prior to the license update and skip acceptation of the new licensing terms. This means the license is not retroactive to the engine versions. We believe this change will allow developers to easily plan longer game productions without fear of license changes that could affect business costs.
- Added detailed explanation on advance payments.
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Royaltydefines which revenue is accountable for 4% revenue share. It includes revenue from advance payments for the game such as payments from a game publisher. Royalties that you pay on advance payment of revenue for a game that is recoupable by the payer, such as a publisher, may be credited against future royalty payments that you incur under EULA for that game. This means, for example, if the publisher pays you $1,000,000 in advance payments (directly into game development), the royalty to Flax would be $30,000 (4% of the value above the first $250,000 per calendar quarter). Later, once the game generates revenue this advance payment is recoupable from the future royalties. For instance, if this game earns $1,500,000, the royalty would be $20,000 instead of $50,000 due to recouped advance payment.
Of course the license isnt the only thing that changed in Flax 1.7. Other new features and improvements include:
- Physical cloth simulation and tools
- Behavior Tree improvements
- Performance improvements and optimizations
- Editor improvements including new plugin project creation tool, content browser QoL improvements, a network profiler and a new spline tool
- Improvements to the MacOS Editor, including the availability of signed binaries making it easier for Mac users to get started
- Various other fixes and changes
Key Links
Flax for Unity Developers Video
You can learn more about the Flax game engine and the 1.7 release in the video below.