GameMaker Studio 2 updates to offer console licences

GameMaker Studio 2, the 2D game engine from Yo-Yo Games, has received two new versions aimed at full-time developers looking to release their games.

The successor to the successful Gamemaker Studio was released earlier in 2017 with support for all platforms except gaming consoles. This has now been added and users can choose to buy a licence which allows development on consoles (the PS4 or Xbox One), or a full package that includes the consoles with the existing support for Windows, Mac, iOS, Android and UWP.

Other than the support for the consoles, there are no differences between the versions of GameMaker Studio 2, meaning you can do the same things regardless of your target platform. The console version will cost $799.99 and the ‘Ultimate’ version will cost $1,500, both as one-year licences.

“YoYo Games is a huge proponent of spreading the joy of game development to as many people as possible, as efficiently as possible,” said general manager of YoYo Games James Cox. “Based on our experience, one of the best ways to do this is by giving our users many options for purchasing a game engine, each tailored for a certain situation – the Console and Ultimate versions help do exactly that.”

The engine has also received several updates that are detailed on the GameMaker blog, however, the Mac OS version of the engine is still in closed beta testing.

Develop spoke with Yo-Yo Games following GDC where all the new functions of the engine were detailed, including a live coding window that showed users what they affecting by using the engine’s drop and drag functionality. The 2D engine has been incredibly popular with indie developers, leading to the development of hits such as Hotline Miami and Hyper Light Drifter.