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Upgrade game maker version?

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paddlers.games

Guest
Hi ! I would like to know if it is possible to start developing buying the "desktop version" of Game Maker then upgrade (paying an upgrade price instead of full price) to a more expensive Game Maker version compatible for "video game console publishing"?

Thanks for your help :)
 

kburkhart84

Firehammer Games
Hi ! I would like to know if it is possible to start developing buying the "desktop version" of Game Maker then upgrade (paying an upgrade price instead of full price) to a more expensive Game Maker version compatible for "video game console publishing"?

Thanks for your help :)
1. This is the wrong place for this topic. You should have put it either the Community Forum(or even in the Tech Support one), but certainly not here.

2. I don't believe they offer an upgrade path from Desktop to Console...they are two different exports...almost like two different products. The console version doesn't export to desktop, nor the other way around. That said, if you are serious about making your money back on console game development, the little money you would have saved on a discount based on owning the Desktop export would become next to irrelevant. $100 is very little considering the thousands that are typically under question by the time you have a quality console release. And if you didn't have something of quality, the vendors wouldn't let you even get the devkits(and then Yoyo wouldn't let you purchase the console licenses either). So go ahead and use the Desktop version to get your skill level up to where it needs to be for console production, get your team together, etc... and when you have a budget and a viable project, finally jump on in.
 

TsukaYuriko

☄️
Forum Staff
Moderator
Licensing question, so Tech Support it is. :)

With that said, note that the licenses are stand-alone export licenses. Console licenses do not grant you everything a Desktop license grants you. They'll allow you to export to the specific console and nothing more. If you still want to export to Desktop targets, you'll need the Desktop license as well.

For this reason, there is no such "upgrade" discount, as you're not "upgrading" licenses, but buying a separate one. The only licenses that could be considered an "upgrade" in terms of functionality are the Ultimate license, as this grants you access to all functionality, including exports, for a year, as well as the Desktop license, which can be considered an upgrade of the Creator license.

As of writing, the only upgrade path that exists is the Creator license, which gives you a discount on the Desktop license.


Speaking of console exports, please note that everything I said above assumes that you fulfill the third-party requirements (which are not imposed by YoYo Games) for using them. You'll have to be a registered developer with the manufacturer of the console(s) of your choice before you'll even be allowed to purchase a console export.

So, to answer what remains of this question: What you can do is start developing a project now, using whatever export licenses you have or will purchase, and then purchase a console license later, adapt anything that requires platform-specific modifications, and otherwise use the same code base.
 
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