Epic Games has acquired photogrammetry asset library and toolset maker Quixel for an undisclosed fee.
The Swedish company has a variety of products designed to help game and movie makers create photorealistic 3D content including Megascans, a massive library of 2D and 3D photogrammetry assets, and companion applications Bridge and Mixer, which are used to manage assets and create textures.
Megascans assets have featured in big-name games and movies like Destiny 2, Battlefield V, The Lion King, and Black Panther, and following the deal will now be completely free for use with Unreal Engine.
The purchase also means Quixel has been able to drop the price of Megascans for all users, irrespective of what engine, DCC, or renderer they users, and also make the upcoming 2020 versions of Bridge and Mixer completely free.
It’s a plan that Epic CEO and co-founder Tim Sweeney claims will help make the “expensive endeavor” of creating photorealistic 3D content accessible to all creatives, from small indies to triple-A studios.