Don't want to see articles from a certain category? When logged in, go to your User Settings and adjust your feed in the Content Preferences section where you can block tags!
We do often include affiliate links to earn us some pennies. See more here.

GameMaker now free for non-commercial use, one-time fee for indie devs

By - | Views: 28,995

Seems like GameMaker are trying to eat some of Unity's lunch here after the mess that was Unity's install fee plan, GameMaker have made it much easier for developers to use it (and cheaper).

Firstly, for non-commercial use, GameMaker is now free to use. So for game devs just starting out, this could be an interesting choice again. And then when you plan to sell your games, the Professional license (doesn't include console) is now a one-time fee instead of a subscription. Much, much better. Simpler and clearer and will no doubt pull in some more developers.

All three of their licenses (Free, Professional, Enterprise) also note this very clearly:

Revenue Share: there is no revenue share that you will be required to pay as part of this license.

Cost per Install: there is no cost associated with the number of instals that your content can have.

Additional Costs: there are no additional costs associated with this license.

The Professional license also notes it's perpetual, so no worries on them dumping new terms onto you like Unity attempted to do.

On top of that they've also made all their asset bundles free.

See their announcement here.

Article taken from GamingOnLinux.com.
Tags: Apps, Game Dev, Misc
15 Likes
About the author -
author picture
I am the owner of GamingOnLinux. After discovering Linux back in the days of Mandrake in 2003, I constantly came back to check on the progress of Linux until Ubuntu appeared on the scene and it helped me to really love it. You can reach me easily by emailing GamingOnLinux directly. Find me on Mastodon.
See more from me
4 comments

Bumadar Nov 22, 2023
Smart move, bit like Microsoft giving office almost away for free at schools. Let people use it and who knows it's a new mega game, either way it gets used, people enjoy it, recommend it.
Cyril Nov 22, 2023
Quoting: BumadarSmart move, bit like Microsoft giving office almost away for free at schools. Let people use it and who knows it's a new mega game, either way it gets used, people enjoy it, recommend it.
Except that in your example this is not a smart move. It's really not the same.
hardpenguin Nov 23, 2023
Hmmmm... They even have a beta version of their editor for Ubuntu (installing it on Debian right now).
Adutchman Nov 23, 2023
Very good development. I am rooting for Godot to become "The blender of gamedevelopment" but niche game-engines will probably always exist and this is clearly a good development. An advantage of the whole Unity debacle is that the aftermath has been a stronger competition.
While you're here, please consider supporting GamingOnLinux on:

Reward Tiers: Patreon. Plain Donations: PayPal.

This ensures all of our main content remains totally free for everyone! Patreon supporters can also remove all adverts and sponsors! Supporting us helps bring good, fresh content. Without your continued support, we simply could not continue!

You can find even more ways to support us on this dedicated page any time. If you already are, thank you!
Login / Register


Or login with...
Sign in with Steam Sign in with Google
Social logins require cookies to stay logged in.