The GameMaker Studio game engine can now again be used for free for longer than 30 days. YoYo Games studio has provided free access to the engine, but with the condition that it can be done only for familiarization.
As the authors of the engine point out, its free version almost does not differ from the usual one. It has almost all the same functions, and you can create as many games as you want. But there are also four limitations:
- developers are not allowed to share executable copies of the game;
- you cannot sell projects created on the free GameMaker Studio;
- games cannot be tested using the high-performance YoYo Compiler;
- The free license only works on the latest version of GameMaker Studio. So users will have to constantly update the engine.
YoYo Games will also share demo versions and game creation guides with users of the free engine. For example, Little Town video tutorials by Benjamin Rivers and a series of articles by Fire Jump.
You can get a free GameMaker Studio license after registering on the YoYo Games website. Those who already have an account will receive it automatically.
Now GameMaker Studio has three tariffs. A “creator” for creating games for Windows and Mac for $39 per year. A permanent license for browser, mobile and PC games “Developer” for $99. The Console license is for $799 per year.
The predecessor of GameMaker Studio was released in 1999 under the name Animo. It was free until 2003. The next time a limited-function free version of the engine appeared only in 2014. YoYo Games later replaced it with a 30-day trial version of GameMaker Studio.
YoYo Games moved under the wing of Opera this January. The latter bought it from Playtech for $10 million.