Developers can now use GameMaker Studio 2 engine for free with few limitations
YoYo Games has introduced a new free version of its engine GameMaker Studio 2. It means that developers will be able to use it for as long as they want in contrast to the previously available 30-day trial version, although the new license has a few limitations.
Gods Will Be Watching, one of the games created on GameMaker
The company shared the news on its official website on June 30. According to GameMaker Studio 2 creators, the free version allows users to build their own games and supports almost all features and tools.
However, there are four limitations to how developers can use the new license:
- You can’t share executable copies of your game;
- You can’t test your game with the higher-performance YoYo Compiler;
- Free license only supports the latest version of GameMaker Studio 2;
- You can’t sell your own assets on the marketplace, although you can still obtain demos, tutorials, and assets created by other people.
To support beginners, YoYo Games also granted free access to demos and tutorials. The list includes Little Town, video lessons created by developer Benjamin Rivers, and a series of articles Fire Jump.
Besides the free versions, GameMaker Studio 2 offers three licenses: Creator to developer games for Windows and Mac ($39 a year), Developer to create mobile, PC, and HTML5 games ($99 a year), and Console to make games for Xbox, PlayStation, and Switch ($799 a year).
GameMaker is a cross-platform engine created in 1999, which allows creators to develop games using a visual programming language and custom drag-and-drop system. In January, Opera bought YoYo games for $10 million.
