Today YoYoGames announced that they are discontinuing the much-derided free edition of GameMaker Studio, GM:S Lite. In its place, GameMaker Studio Standard is now free. Previously, Standard was $49, but often discounted to free for special promotions. The Lite edition was not favored by users for being too limited in features and resource constraints.
This is a good move for YYG, as it serves to strengthen their position among neophyte developers who want a first tool they can use for free. GameMaker has long been a “gateway drug” for many indie game developers and programmers, and making a free version that is actually useful will continue to ensure that new users will have little reason not to give it a try.
Their official announcement is copied below:
Today, YoYo Games announces that a powerful version of GameMaker: Studio is now available to developers for FREE. We’ve taken the resource-limited “Free” version of GameMaker: Studio and replaced it with a feature-rich version of GameMaker: Studio called “Standard.” The newly launched GameMaker: Studio Standard puts the full power of GameMaker: Studio at the fingertips of games developers everywhere!
If the cost of GameMaker: Studio was holding you back before, there isn’t anything holding you back now.
For more info, visit https://www.yoyogames.com/studio.
Game on!