GameMaker Studio simplifies pricing and provides unlimited free access up to publishing

Popular game development tool GameMaker Studio 2 today announced major revision to its pricing and subscription options, with YoYo Games promising a simpler system with greater flexibility.

The time limit has effectively been removed from the free trial version of the software, so developers can work on a game for as long as they like, without charge, up to the point they want to publish it. 

In addition platform specific licenses are a thing of the past. WIth all of them being replaced by two simple packages. The Indie package allows for creating PC and mobile versions of your titles, while Enterprise allows developers to create version for all major consoles as well. 

The former cost $9.99 a month, or $99.99 annually. While the latter is $79.99 Monthly or $799.99 annually – making it around $700 cheaper than the previous ‘Ultimate’ version of the software. 

Russell Kay, CTO at YoYo Games, said: “Our vision has always been to make it as easy as possible for anyone to start making awesome games. Today’s announcement represents a huge step forward in making GameMaker more accessible to game creators of all levels. We are also committed to fostering creativity within our community and will be introducing exciting new initiatives in this area later this year.”

Earlier this year the company was acquired browser and internet company Opera. With the companies looking to make synergies between Opera’s GX gaming browser, and its 10m users, and GameMaker titles.

Krystian Kolondra, EVP PC & Gaming at Opera, added: “The gradual lowering of technical hurdles has already enabled the democratization of content publishing, through platforms like WordPress, and video creation through YouTube. Making games is the next big step in the creator economy. By making GameMaker free for new game creators and more flexible for Indies and Studios, developing skills and creating great games has never been easier.”

Opera GX and GameMaker recently announced the Opera GX Game Jam, calling on creators to create the next offline game for the “No Internet” page in Opera GX.