Epic Games has announced that it’s sold ArtStation and Sketchfab, two 3D art and video game asset platforms that the company acquired in 2021, to the asset library company KitBash3D for an undisclosed sum. The most vocal contingent of ArtStation’s 10 million registered users seems to be overjoyed at this news as, according to one user, there’s now hope that the platform can return to its “former glory and can remove all the AI flooding in the marketplace.”
As spotted by Creative Bloq, Epic Games, KitBash3D, and ArtStation all independently announced the sale in separate posts on August 10. While Epic Games’ post focused on how the company will “continue to prioritize building Unreal Engine 6, Fortnite, the developer ecosystem, and the Epic Games Store,” ArtStation’s post was more concerned with how the sale will affect its users.
“Today, ArtStation and Sketchfab are becoming part of KitBash, the company behind 3D art platforms KitBash3D and Greyscalegorilla,” reads ArtStation’s statement. “Together with ArtStation and Sketchfab’s art publishing and discovery platforms, artists are supported across the creative process from bringing ideas to life to sharing their work and building their careers. There are no changes to how creators access or use ArtStation and Sketchfab. Portfolios, libraries, and core workflows will continue to operate as they do now.”
We care deeply about supporting professional artists and the time, craft, and effort that goes into the work they create. Your voices will be an important part of how we think about what comes next. Keep it coming. We’re here, and we’re listening.
— ArtStation.com (@ArtStationHQ) August 11, 2026
Since Epic purchased both ArtStation and Sketchfab in 2021, artists on the platforms have complained about how AI art and assets have been “plastered everywhere, covering up real people’s work, and often used to scam potential customers.”
Likewise, over on the r/ArtStation subreddit, artists are optimistic about the site’s future following its sale to KitBash3D. “Free from Epic and their love of AI slop. That’s some good news I hope,” commented one user. “I have no faith in Epic Games, it is genuinely impressive how they manage to fuck-up everything they touch,” stated another. “I am very happy that 2 of my favorite websites on the internet are not under their control anymore.”
It’s likely no coincidence that, as a result of the platform now being out of Epic’s hands, ArtStation was prompted to follow up its official statement with a post on X about how they are “hopeful about what this next chapter could mean” and are “listening” to users’ feedback: “There’s trust to earn, a lot to learn, and important work ahead. The feedback we’re hearing from artists matters.”
