GameMaker Is Now FREE! ...ish.
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- Опубликовано: 28 сен 2024
- So major announcements earlier this week from the GameMaker team. All of their non-console versions are now available for free for non-commercial use. Additionally the subscription model is GONE and it's been replaced with a flat rate fee, just like it used to be. The console support is still locked behind a traditional subscription fee however. Additionally they have made all of their asset templates free as well.
All told, just good news all around for GameMaker developers and people interested in checking out this long running game engine.
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I don't know if that was the case before, but they also offer a LTS version and for that the wording is kinda nice:
"We know some developers in our community just want to master one version of GameMaker without having to worry about new features disrupting their workflow. That’s where the Long Term Stable (LTS) build comes in.
The LTS version won’t receive new feature updates like other versions of GameMaker during its two-year lifecycle. Instead, the LTS will only be updated to address critical bugs, security issues, or critical updates.
This version may be of particular use to Console Developers who want a consistent feature set and Schools who have a curriculum that would otherwise need to be altered to accommodate newly created features.""
Meaning, if you really go for a deepdive once more, maybe doing a comparison between the LTS and the rolling release might allow for some nice content alongside?
Sadly it starts only when registered/registering for an account. No mention of this on the download page, please include this piece of information in your next video on GameMaker.
If your going to learn a new language mind as well do it for one with more liberty and freedom than GML! Like with the godot engine then you can use it in other places! As GML your be stuck on that same engine! And in the long run you will be thirsty for that expansion in your next game! GML will leave you broke and hopeless as you can't go beyond the stars!
Still hoping you see my message in the comments and give a heads up with your opinion on that 😁
@@nowonmetube That'd be great but I don't see it!
GM was my first entry into game development. My grandma bought me a copy back when it was $18. I learned to think like a coder with the drag and drop scripting and then later I got brave enough to learn GML. I'm interested in playing with it again just for those reasons. It was a fun and intuitive engine.
Absolutely same here. That $18 purchased my future. I'm so glad to hear it's moving back to a kinder model.
Same. 2003. Couldn't understand GML code, I'm tempted to get back into it after 20 years!
Wow. The Head of GameMaker was born at an early age ... Impressive.
i kinda don't even believe it for some reason...
You have to give yourself a head start to get ahead in life
bro took a page from filipino humor that's for sure
3:14 Russell Kay, what a legend, born at an early age.
thank you for keeping us updated on game dev news sir!
Seems free for not comercial games, a good strategy, since kids and amateurs arent the ones with money.
You can put a 'donation' for user if your game is free. Its not commercial
@@muhammadfarhan2947yeah like fnf
This is fantastic! Game Maker's free version is what got me into game design back in middle school, and I was sad to hear they got rid of it for a limited timed trial. I personally prefer Godot now that I work as a programmer, but it Game Maker is a great program to learn in so I'm happy to hear they're bringing back the free version!
They changed the timed trial a few years back to being an unlimited version, but with export restrictions so you could only upload to GX games. It was good enough for people learning the engine.
This news makes it even better :)
I recently started diving into Godot and I definitely prefer it to Unity, which I use at work. Godot's node system is awesome.
Yep
It's definitely a welcome return to it's roots as accessible educational software to revive the free version, especially with even fewer restrictions than the old Game Maker Lite used to have.
Thank you for continuing to support the game industry with all your information and videos.
There is GameMaker BETA for Ubuntu linux
Gamemaker was the first engine that I really stuck with and I always loved GML (moreso than GDscript) but right now I'm kinda torn between the two. I like Gamemaker's programming/prototyping experience better than Godot but I'm more of a 3D dev so Godot is the obvious winner there. For small projects and apps I still use Gamemaker.
do you think GM is still better than Godot for 2D games? Also, is GML easier to learn than GDScript?
@@fuarrkk I think if you were to choose which engine to learn based on the documentation, Gamemaker has a fantastic manual which is easily navigated and understood. Godot is working on their manual but in my opinion isn't quite there yet. So based on that alone I'd say GML is easier to learn than GDScript.
But regarding which engine is better for 2D games, I think you'll have to make that determination yourself on a project per project basis after learning both engines. I don't think there's a clear winner here just yet.
Russell Kay (the born at an early age head of Gamemaker ) has already mentioned he doesn't care if you pay the commercial license at a later date. The entire thing will run on the honor system.
Game Maker is still useful for people who can't wrap their head around the ridiculous node system of Godot.
It's the only thing it has going for it on a technical level. If you drop an object in the scene, it can interact with any other object in that scene. Period.
No signal garbage.
You never forget your first love. It calls me back with each update, and now the free version is even freer? I'm torn between Game Maker and Godot haha.
you're sounding way healthier bro! keep up the good work and take care of yourself :)
I have a grudge against game maker. Too many times did I get an outdated version from humble and just felt scammed. I really hate how YoyoGames monetized it. I heard prior to Yoyogames it was absolutely brilliant.
In fairness it is the first 'real' engine I actually messed with, and it was very accessible considering next to non existent skills back then.
It sure looks pretty good nowadays and probably more accessible than Godot for younger audiences. I'm actually surprised it wasn't already free, thought that happened as soon as opera nabbed it.
I had the version from Mark Overmars, the original creator, and it enable my 14 yo me to create stuff with little to no knowledge.
The it became that thing now.
Hello, if I create an Android game and add an admob advertisement, list it on Google Play for free, does this violate their rules? If it's violated, how do they know?
Could this be their answer to GDevelop? For instance, what's the biggest difference between the two? Now a lot of free assets with Game Maker, which makes start prototyping much easier (similarly to RPG Maker makes it easier to jump right into production). I find with GDevelop it's easier to jump into production, but you need to set up your prototyping first (with assets etc.)
But on the other hand where lie the differences? With GDevelop you have menu based system (similarly to RPG Maker), but Game Maker has a visual scripting system (which I'm not familiar with).
What are the pros and cons in your opinion? You're seem very educated on that field so I find your opinion very valuable.
GDevelop is more of a competitor to Construct.
i am a little bit confused, does this mean we can compile our games to exe files now with the free plan ?
i figured it out :) i forgot i was trying to compile in the stable version and not the beta version 🤣
Now lets imagine if GameMaker could possibly get a 3D game engine that is open-source and is for anyone (maybe).
I remember trying gamemaker as a kid, checking it out again sounds really nice
also 2d is kinda whack in the engine im currently working with
History Lesson:
There was a free, commercial use, no-royalty use version in the past from Game Maker that released around when GM2 released.
That was then taken back by revoking license keys from the accounts that held it. Gamemaker deleted all evidence.
what everyone failed to notice, even with free version you can sell your games since they are not sitting there and tracking your every installs. But hey if you go big enough why not pay $99
One time purchase? in this day and age?! Holy yes!
Also like that sponge bob meme:
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT MEANS FOR FAN GAMES?! FAN GAMES THAT CANNOT BE COMMERCIAL BECAUSE OF THEIR NATURE!? ITS FREE, YOU CAN MAKE UNDERTALE FAN GAMES FOR FREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE -(if you have the know how)-
finally, some good gamedev news 🥰
It's definitely better but there are so many great free and open source tools that don't restrict you like this, and cost nothing
Only reason for me to install it again would be to save all the assets I've made over the years so I can import it into something I'm actually using.
I have a GMS2 standard creator licence from before, which I never converted to their subscription service. It seems that it will still stand for exporting commercial products as long as you are using the GMS2 runtime.
But they have do a new runtime in development that’s generating some excitement, and from a bit of text at the bottom of their blog post that Mike skipped over, it appears you’ll have to buy a new licence to use that commercially.
At a very reasonable $99 I think that’s fair enough. That’s what you have to pay Steam or Apple just to get on their stores.
I am in the same boat, but I do not think it is 'reasonable' at all. I purchase the full license (and the mobile license) for almost $400 several years ago with the understanding that I can use GM2 and all future versions. $99 may not seem to be a huge deal, but is breaking the agreement... Not Cool
Did anyone else notice "born at an early age" in Russell's description
I have a book for GM 8.0 😅
Free for beginners and non-commercial use (I’m guessing non-commercial means if you want to publish it, it has to be free?)
1 time purchase Professional license for more serious devs who want to make money from their game (please correct me if I’m wrong.)
And the subscription is for enterprise plans!
Personally, (if my guesses are true) that is what I call a practically perfect software distribution plan!
One of the first engine i used, would play around with this ngl
Oh hell yeah, time to go back to where it all started for me
Huh weird, I remember it being free when I was kid. That was in the 90s though, maybe it was some demo then.
Finally a good change specially if you want to participate in game jams.
Sounds good, but what if someone uses the free version and uploads videos of their game to their RUclips channel and earn money from ads. Is that commercial use?
Yes!
Wait didnt they always gave a non-commercial free version, then, like, 8 months ago they got rid of it. Now they are bringing it back for free praise?
I was so excited about this, but apparently there are know issues regarding antivirus software making sure GM doesn't launch.. the FAQ wasn't helpful (the advice didn't work) and apparently they don't reply to emails. It's hard to find anything about it on Reddit or anything. Bit of a bummer! Would've been so much fun otherwise!
You are still using antivirus software in 2024? Delete it now. It's completely useless, doesn't matter the brand. They are only slow down your machine. If you need to scan your computer for viruses - just download the latest drweb scan and delete.
I think this was aage’s ago with Gamemaker 7 or 8 from what I could find on the net.
You needed to click "Add All" 4:47
"Born at an early age, Russel has been in the games industry for over 30 years."
Why would I want to use a game engine like this to make games when I can't even monetize them as commercial games?
And can you get the free gm assets & use them in other game engines?
... Can has Cyber Monday deal for their Pro license?
What's that game in the background? Is that yours?
No it's one of the demo projects you can create when creating a new project.
@@gamefromscratch Thank you so much for answering.
Oh, cool! Does that mean I can use some of those assets? The dungeon environment looks like a great starting point.
(I know nothing about game development. I'm in the midst of choosing which engine to begin learning.)
Boo, no Linux Support!?
it's in beta, been using it for a year
Too bad this didn't happen during the Unity fiasco a short while ago. Yoyo would have definitely gotten a surge of new users then.
Why does the word "fee" make me nervous?
PTSD from Unity ... lol
Can run native in Ubuntu Linux.
Gane Maker user since v4. I remember when v5 came out with proper win xp looks... O M G
those are some really good news then
I really like game maker! This is so awesome!
No, sir. Thank you.
By the way, Raylib 5 is out!
Enterprise is $80/month or $800/year
so um stupid question to ask but can i still sell my non commercial games or ...
because how can switch to a commercial licenses if i cant sell my games
still this is a way batter option then construct 3 & unity still .
commercial is when money is being made, so you can't "sell a non commercial"
@@airgeadlamh aw ....
well can i still put ads or use in app pursues to monetize my free game .
@@airgeadlamh well just like said before still a batter deal then construct 3 or unity
Didn't gamemaker used to be free anyway?
Am I the only one wishing that GML could be switched out with JavaScript?
Meh, GM burned their bridges for me years ago. Gdevelop is my gameddv mistress now.
Now i can take breake from priting and refreshing the crack
it's 99.99$ so 100$, just say 100$ lol
commmment for the alogithm
Godot eating its lunch
That's exactly what it is!
this was free before with limitations
I used gamemaker back with the classic version, 1.7 and version 2 days. It had supreme issues exporting to android and HTML5 in so far as it failed to do so even on an empty game project. The GML language is not like C because it is not strongly typed. Game maker's scripting language is honestly hot garbage. Godot is supremely better in all aspects right now, gamemaker has no place in my toolbelt. That being said, I lament Unity's decisions as their engine is still supremely good but since they hate their community and developers I'm not going back and am sticking with godot.
game maker language has changed a lot in past few years, like a whole 180 lot
@@一本のうんち just saw the change log and examples only 20 percent change is not 180 turn
I really don't understand what makes people use Game Maker in this age. It was okay when I was a kid but now there are much better alternatives.
They probably find it easier to use. Not to mention, I believe it comes with a wide variety of free assets. So you can literally just start right then and there.
Some people don't need the biggest or the best. They just need it to work in a way they understand.
Cause it's good? Like what are your assumptions on 'okay when I was a kid' based? Are you dismissing it cause of it's "basic" name? engine been around for over 20 years and been improving since.
Bruh, Undertale was made with gamer maker it's not a bad engine
And katana zero
You can cut bread with a plastic spoon, it doesn't mean it's a good tool.
I get why people are using GameMaker, it's because of its simplicity. But other engines are clearly superior.
who cares godot is better and everyone knows it
2:05 The beta editions of the IDE and build tools have Linux versions and they work-ish, but it's yet to be promoted to the stable branch. Unclear when that'll be "officially" released, my understanding is that the native Linux version is basically one guy's side project.
So there's been some debate about what counts as "commercial use" (ads? donations?) and how they're going to enforce it, but the current status is that they're basically going to count on people sticking to the honor code. It's been implied that the GX platform has been successful enough now that it's not worth being militant about.
Care to elaborate? Because if there is a native Linux version i am interested.
Ok, found it, tried it, can't even run one of the example templates, it just crashes trying to start them.
@@BastetFurryYou need to install some dependencies, otherwise it can't run. Look up an article about setting up for Linux, which should tell all what must be. It is pretty quickly done.
Game Maker is a very simple, limited engine, but that makes it much easier to learn and to use than Unity or Godot. If you just happen to be making the type of game that GM does well, then GM will get it done the quickest. I like Unity for 3D games, but if I want to make a 2D, NES-style game I would choose Game Maker for sure.
so if i put my game on steam, but for free and dont make money from it in any way (no ads, no in game purchases), i can use the free version?
Yes
I'm ok with a one time license free. The subscription model they tried is what turned me off. I kind of think the Unity drama butterfly effect led to this.
godot is free and more powerful in every way
@@adog3129 no arguing there. They make their money through donations though. Opera is more of a standard business model.
With the subscription model it cost 9.99 to publish your game commercially and now they upped the price to 99. How is this good?
@@randomnumbers84269 it's a straight discount if you plan to use gamemaker for more than ten months. sure, you can technically try to use the trial version for as long as possible and only pay for it when you wanna publish, but i have zero interest in that. i wanna properly own the thing and get the full functionality. it's nice to be able to send builds to people before the game is finished. and if the cost is that big an issue to you that you're trying to get by with the trial, why aren't you using one of the other three engines which are free for small scale commercial use and 10x as powerful?
In the back of my mind, I kinda want to try game maker out, and I have been thinking with 2D stuff in Godot. So I might take it for a spin.
Is this a no-code engine? Or at least far less coding required compared to making a game in something like Godot?
You have the option to use visual scripting, or code
I've been using GM Studio 1 for a long while. When I heard they were bringing back the one-time fee again, I knew they made the right decision. The addendum that it's free* just makes it better for me to convert it to GM Studio 2. Now, whether or not I can get it to an HTML5 format is another story, but if it works, it works.
It's good news. The new owners had become very greedy before the Unity pricing disgrace. I paid $700 for what was supposed to be lifetime license and it was cancelled. GM is a nice game engine. I might pay the $99 and go back to it just for fun.
That license is still valid, btw. You only have to pay that 99 bucks if you want to upgrade to using the new runtime. (Trust me, you want to do that lol)
@@Indecom You have a point .
In a one blogbost GM team talked that new runtime will "compile in a new platform native way" and that it will "replace BOTH VM and YYC" . And as far as i can see , the new Beta installer also have a prompt for install LLVM (but there's nothing in the IDE that uses it yet , still a GMS VM/GMS YYC) .
It's quite interesting what they are up to .
If they **REALLY** make GML faster or even improve it - heck yeah , 40$(regional price) for live-time licence is worth it .
@@Grif_on96It's not just improved speed. You're also getting multithreading, compute shaders, and webgpu. It's going to be faster and let you do more crazy stuff on the GPU end.
Yeah
The price had bloated horrendously under YoYo's management, especially when you consider that the software started out costing $25 when Mark was selling it.
It's a welcome change that Opera dropped the price down to $100 with all the non-console export modules included while bringing the free version back for non-commercial projects
@@Indecom so the $700 "lifetime" license is valid but really should pay the 99 bucks to have it work again in the modern world. I think I don't like getting jerked around like that.
Game Maker it's not free, is a shaware software (if you want more, then pay), if we are talking about a real free game engine (not like Godot), Cry Engine, Unity and Unreal, are free to use at all range (multiplataform without any cost), so you can litteraly do any kind of game without to pay for some other additional stuffs (speaking about tools or exporting packages)...
Do you know what the license is for the free asset bundles and if they can be used outside of gamemaker? I looked around a bit but didn't find much.
i will stay with Godot engine but this is great news.
Back in my college days I remember gamemaker being free 2012-2015
Video on raylib 5.0 when?
I started years and years ago making games on gamemaker.. I now have been working using Unity for 2d and unreal for 3d projects for a few years, but after the "Unity Event" I tried Godot and while it was good, I wasn't really impressed with how poor the documentation is. Especially now that they changed so much in version 4
This week going back to Gamemaker and messing around has me wanting to start a bigger project again
After the disaster of Unity's pricing scheme, this just makes me breathe a sigh of relief for all the indies who spent time to learn Game Maker and thought they saw the writing on the wall. I'm a Godot fan, but I'm overjoyed to know Game Maker users have such a great pro-consumer licensing change. Big W for indies! ❤
So, this is actually an excellent change. The free version allows you to make games without paying as long as you're not selling yet and test on all platforms. When you're ready you can pay the 99 bucks to get the pro version, and have all the exports except consoles. When you're ready for consoles, you can pay monthly at 79.99 a month or 799.99 for a year. Someone ready for consoles should have the money anyway. Also, it costs them a buttload of money to make the engine work for consoles, so They deserve some money for this. I bought this back in 2018, they've continued to update it and honor my license. For a 2d paid engine this is a great deal and they deserve all the new users.
I really like the one time fee version coming back. I still have my old un-supported, outdated one time purchase GameMaker Studio 2. It requires a server login and I have worried they'll drop authentication one day so I stopped working in it.
Im glad. Im not 100% against subscriptions but 9/10 times you get screwed. Id rsther pay more up front then psy for licensing when its time to launch. Having to pay more if you work slower just sucks. Sinfe they brought this back ill 100% buy it again to show support for this model. If i was wrong sbout hoe their prescription modek work, let me know but this works better anyway .
Unity and game engine practically doubled the number of godot devs overnight.
could someone clarify? does this mean the onetime fee is basically just an upgrade? i could start making a game in the free version and once im ready to sell it or if i get the money while im still learning i would be able to upgrade my version and be able to export it?
Are you f'kin kidding me? It used to be $10 or something before with the monthly based subscription model if you wanted to go commercial. And now the price is $99 and they present it like it's some kind of a gift to the community? Please tell me I missed something here, or else this is some major BS
Thank you!!! Happy Thanksgiving to you and everyone who watches this video/channel!! 😊😊😊
"free for non-commercial purposes" skip.
and a shit ton cheaper for entry level commercial licenses, especially since its now a one-time fee again and not a subscription
sometimes its worth waiting 2 more seconds before dismissing good news lol
@@Daniel-ib5nt That and most here aren't going to be crafting any commercial games.
@@SomeDudeSomewhereOr Godot
Make your own game engine!!
@@pythonxzor Gdevelop?
I am very interested in GameMaker as a 2D game engine! I am wondering if you know how it stacks up to other engines like Godot and Unity and the like in that regard? How user-friendly is it, and how diverse can you go with its tools?
Overall, It's a great 2D engine. It is very easy to get into, even if you don't know how to use text based code well. GML can be used in text based or visual forms. You can translate visual into text at any time, so if you aren't locked to one or the other. A lot of the things you can do in Unity with 2D, you can also do in GameMaker. It isn't as fully featured as Unity in some ways, but for what I do, that's actually a good thing. Even before the Unity "incident," I generally avoided it because it was super slow, and somewhat unstable on my hardware at the time. In comparison with Godot, I honestly like both engines. It's really down to your workflow honestly.
@@vogonp4287 thank you for that!
Oh Ok GDevelop Pressure Construct 3 competition
Is game maker good?? Compared to the other software out there?
It's my favorite 2D engine, but I stopped using it when they took away people's lifetime licenses
Best 2d engine I've tried, personally.
@@TheVideogamemaster9They didn't take them away. The old lifetime licenses still work and never stopped working.
not really
def best 2d engine out there
I like how they spat in Unity's face but in all honesty, I still kinda trust Unity more (which is very little), Unity is clearly trying to be something other than a game engine so it's future doesn't resonate with mine. Godot however has a bright future ahead of it, everyone keeps saying it is leagues behind Unity but it isn't really. Well, I guess we'll see how the Unity 6 render pipeline has improved first because they gave us very little information about it, just said "yeah we improved it, trust me bro". Not like I care all that much about 3D, Godot's 3D is absolutely fine tbf, if you want hyper-realism obviously use UE5 but everything else is basically the same in Godot as it is in Unity imo, except the physics but everyone uses Jolt instead anyways and Godot will be switching to Jolt soon, maybe. I think realistically if you were a Unity dev, just stick with it, Unity will probably stay in it's place for another decade, they switched CEOs to a guy who likes open-source software so he probably has better morals idk, it's hard to say any CEO has good morals tbh except maybe Phil Spencer CEO of Xbox, im only committing to the switch because I like the lack of information about everything Godot so Im learning a lot more trying to figure it out myself.
4:49 "Resources to Import" is empty. You imported nothing basically. You should have added all or some of the assets.
I used game maker really long time ago, and did a decent job making custom stuff on that age, not sure if i payed anything, i remember using it from steam itself LOL
GameMaker is very good for prototyping games.
Actually tried it a bit again and even though I dev mostly in Unity I was surprised by the speed I could do stuff in it. The language gml being able to use both GML and the drag and drop if you want is pretty cool. Built in sprite editor - that’s such a speed up for prototyping. a pretty powerful for 2D games. I might try doing something bigger in it going forward.
I had I subscription and when I saw it costed 100 dollars i was like yay! And u signed in and it said I had it and I had a heart attack I tough it charged me but but it was just free for me
I'm done with corporate-owned game engines. Spent 2 months moving to Godot and now I love it -- much easier than Unity. So glad Unity told me to leave.
Wasn't standard GMS1 free in the past? So like they went from free, then went paid for GMS2, and then went free again?
I dropped straight into gml with 1.4.999, only spent two days total with it, but it was my first step, so seeing them open the floodgates by 1st party is great to see.
I bought game maker studio 1, and within a month they completely dropped support and expected me to pay again for game maker studio 2. I'll stick with Godot.
Just felt the need to point out that at 3:56 it should be noted that Russell Kay, the head of GameMaker was "born at an early age"...