GameMaker Engine is now free for non-commercial use outside of consoles
The GameMaker Engine is free to use for non-commercial purposes on all platforms aside from consoles as of today, the Scottish company behind the engine has announced. This is obviously fantastic for hobbyists or anyone wanting to practice their skills.
In addition, the current subscription model for the GameMaker Engine will be abandoned in favor of a one-time fee for commercial use. Developers with an ongoing subscription can purchase a commercial license with a discount. Again, these changes only apply to non-console developers, who can still access the GameMaker Engine via subscription.
The GameMaker Engine is making life for hobbyists easier than ever.
GameMaker Engine
On top of this, the company’s asset bundles have been made free as well. As per the company’s FAQ, the commercial license is priced at $99.99 USD.
Russell Kay, the head of GameMaker Engine, wrote that these changes were being implemented as a “Thank You!” to users.
“Since we joined the Opera family, GameMaker has seen a three-fold increase in its active users! Lots of young people came to try GameMaker, over 6,000 games were published on gx.games, and as a result of the product evolution, GameMaker is now better than ever,” Kay stated.
Kay also referenced the disastrous attempt by Unity earlier in the year to force developers into an exploitative pricing model: “We have seen other platforms making awkward moves with their pricing and terms, so we thought, what if we did the opposite, something that could actually be good for developers? Our success is measured by the number of people making games!
“The new pricing structure reflects GameMaker's commitment to making game development more accessible and flexible. The free version serves as an entry point for beginners, a one-time commercial fee is for the curious ones, while the subscription-based enterprise tier provides a scalable option for more experienced developers and professionals.”
