Following Unity’s massive pricing blunder, GameMaker is trying something new
Following the massive pricing controversy that resulted in game developers boycotting Unity, GameMaker is doing something different with its technology: making it free for all non-commercial use. GameMaker will also charge a one-time fee of $99.99 for its PC-based commercial license. Console game developers will still need to buy the “enterprise” license, which costs $79.99 per month or $799.99 per year.
“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?” Russell Kay, GameMaker’s lead, wrote on the company blog. “Our success is measured by the number of people making games!”
Kay is most likely referring to the wildly unpopular changes to Unity’s pricing structure that were announced – and partially reversed – earlier this year. Unity’s proposed price changes are tied to the number of times a game is installed and run, and their complicated structure has caused much confusion. Unity is no longer forcing developers to participate in the new program, but the fee will be applied to future versions of the engine.
In 2021, Opera Software, best known for its Opera web browser, acquired GameMaker owner YoYo Games. Since then, GameMaker has “seen a three-fold increase in its active users,” according to Kay. Chicory: A Colorful Tale, Undertale, Hotline Miami, and many other commercial games use GameMaker, but it’s also an important platform for new developers to learn how to make games.
The new pricing structure makes game development even more accessible to those interested. Aside from the game engine’s pricing, GameMaker has made all of its asset bundles free — yet another way to make development more accessible.