‘Game design for everyone’ tool hits Kickstarter

A new development tool that aims to bring “game design to everyone” has been launched on Kickstarter in a $500,000 crowdfunding campaign.

Developed by Torque 3D engine creator Garage Games, 3 Step Studio is a suite of tools and templates designed to make game creation available to developers of all levels.

The middleware is targeted at game enthusiasts, artists and designers, and will include free-genre specific templates and tools to help developers create and distribute games on iOS, Windows and Mac platforms.

Users will be able to select a template, customise game play and art and then release their title, with the basic tools and templates set to be free to use should the middleware hit its crowdfunding target.

As well as basic tools, advanced features and additional content will be available through micro-transactions. Templates readily available to start development from at launch will include physics launcher, tower defence and blackjack-style gameplay. Future templates planned include platformers and RPGs.

Garage Games claims that the tech can be used as an affordable solution for students, enthusiasts and non-programming designers and artists, as well as being a useful prototyping tool for more experienced developers without the need for significant resource investment.

"Gamers everywhere have ideas for their own games, but often encounter the roadblocks of programming and prohibitive pricing of most development tools. 3 Step Studio removes those obstacles and clears the way for their creativity,” said 3 Step Studio line product manager Kyle Miller.

“We are filling that void of a game design suite specifically for the enthusiast, student, aspiring game designer or artist.”

Garage Games CEO Eric Preisz added: "The truth is making games is very hard and often costly; the majority of people never finish their first game. We set out to address this by designing the most intuitive tools to help you make a game without compromising personal expression.

“Much of our company’s history over that last eleven years has been in helping students, beginners and small teams make games. If you have any interest in being a game developer, then 3 Step Studio is where you should start."

Visit the official 3 Step Studio Kickstarter page for more information.