Finally, after years of waiting any and all game developers that want to use the power and potential of the Unreal Engine 3 to create games, lifelike scenes and fantastic worlds, can download the UDK and use it for free.
UDK (Unreal Development Kit) is the free edition of Unreal Engine 3 complete professional development framework. It has all the tools you need to create an AAA game. It comes with a demo version of Unreal Tournament 3 to use as a starting point for those of looking to develop their own first-person shooter, but this however is not a mod tool. You can make your own games from the ground up and distribute them as standalone applications, so basically users can now install and run your game without owning a copy of Unreal Tournament 3.
How cool is that? 
Unreal Engine 3 has powered dozens of AAA Game titles; Gears of War 1 & 2, Mass Effect 1 & 2, Unreal Tournament 3, X-Men Origins: Wolverine, Batman: Arkham Asylum, and more. Many game developers always wanted to create their own game with the Unreal Engine 3, can’t wait to see what they will produce.
For those of you wondering, this is the full version of the Unreal Engine 3.
The UDK come with all of the same features and tool integrations of the full commercial version of Unreal Engine 3, without the C++ source code access. The UDK currently only builds windows-only apps, so if you are interested in going cross-platform (Mac, PS3, Xbox 360 or iPhone) or if you plan on selling your game/earning revenue then you will need to purchase a commercial license. The licensing agreement isn’t bad, if you decide to sell your end product or service, you first pay Epic $99 Royalty bearing, then 25% royalty on UDK related revenue after you earned $5,000 (or something like that). Simply said, if you make money, Epic makes money. For more details read the UDK Licensing Info. A good game can basically pay for itself.
The Pros and Cons of the UDK
Pros:
- The power of the Unreal Engine 3 to make games, visualizations, and simulations
- Distribute your work as a standalone windows application
- Free Upgrades and major features additions
- Commercial License pricing is reasonable.
- Bragging rights for years if you create a kick ass game
Cons:
- No source code
- Build programs/games only for Windows, Not for Mac, PS3, Xbox 360, or iPhone*
- Currently still in Beta, (May have a few bugs that affects your game)
- Cannot earn revenue *
- Use only for educational and non commercial use*
*Commercial license required
This is really good news for hobbyist and game developers that can’t get their foot in the door at gaming companies. Imagine this, Sending your resume and link to a game you created with the UDK to one of the gaming companies. If you can make a game, that can count as experience. Hell, if you game is popular, and good enough companies more than likely will come to you asking you to work for them and who knows, you may possibly even get funding to create a bigger commercial version of your game.
2010 is really staring to look like an interesting year.
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