Epic Games Has Bought Another Company

Epic has continued the expansion of its "metaverse" with the acquisition of Sketchfab, a platform used by creators to buy, sell, edit, and discover 3D models. Epic has bought a number of other companies in recent years, including both game studios and companies whose products are designed to support or improve game development.

"By joining forces, Epic and Sketchfab will be able to make 3D, AR and VR content more accessible and grow the creator ecosystem, which are critical to an open and interconnected Metaverse," Epic's statement on the acquisition reads. It's not the first time Epic has referred to its lofty "metaverse" ambitions, with the concept coming up during the purchase of Fall Guys developer Mediatonic as well.

At this point, the Sketchfab acquisition looks like good news for existing users of the site, with Epic's involvement pushing down the prices of the platform's services. Sketchfab has reduced its store fees for sellers to 12%, while the site's premium account tiers have also received a shake-up. The lowest paid tier, Sketchfab Plus, is now free for all users, while existing Plus subscribers will be upgraded to Sketchfab Pro at no extra cost. Sketchfab has also now merged its business plan with its enterprise plan, with those upgrades also incurring no extra cost.

Epic Games has acquired a number of companies in recent years, with the names now under its belt including Fall Guys developer Mediatonic, Rocket League studio Psyonix, and tech companies such as photogrammetry developer Capturing Reality and Houseparty developers Life On Air.