Epic Games announced that the Unreal Development Kit (UDK), a free software release that provides uncompromised access to the award-winning Unreal Engine 3 toolset, has exceeded 50,000 users worldwide since its launch on Nov. 5. This rapid adoption of Unreal Engine 3 technology extends to approximately 130 countries and 4,500 cities across the globe.
Epic plans the imminent release of updates for the UDK beta version. UDK is available for download at www.udk.com , where product features, licensing terms, frequently asked questions, support resources and more are also available.
UDK is available to anyone interested in using 3D game engine technology, from game developers to students, hobbyists to researchers, and creators of architectural walkthroughs to digital filmmakers. Use of UDK is free for all schools and students, and anyone can release free UDK-powered games.
"We are very excited to see the uptake of UDK cross over the 50,000 mark in only one week, and we're looking forward to seeing amazing games and applications come out of it," said Mark Rein, vice president of Epic Games. "We're also thrilled to finally be able to offer UDK free for schools and students so they can work with the same awesome Unreal Engine 3 tools used by many of the top game developers and publishers around the world."