OFFICIAL Retiring the GameMaker: Player

[ShaunJS]

Hello everyone!

The GameMaker: Player was a tool we built to help more of our developers bring their GameMaker titles to market and share it with others. However, we now live in a different age where so many new, accessible platforms such as itch.io exist for developers and deliver excellently on these goals. We therefore believe that our own time and resources are now better spent making sure that GameMaker and specifically GameMaker Studio 2 is the best game development tool it can be, than on continuing to support and improve the Player.

We have therefore decided that as of the 28th of April we will be retiring the GameMaker: Player and as of today you can no longer purchase games, upload new games or create new developer accounts for the Player.

Any developers that still have money earned from the Player that had not yet met the minimum transfer criteria will have their accounts paid out in full. Additionally all purchases previously made via the Player will be refunded. Further details on this process will be made available as we draw closer to the date.

-YoYo Games

 

[gn.fur]

Lel, totally forgot about this thingy. Did it even released from beta?

 

[FrostyCat]

Will you also be removing the export option and links in upcoming patches to GMS 1.4? This is an important step that seems to have been omitted from your announcement.

Also, I remember there were hidden functions that you added to GMS just to make Player possible in native GML. Will those hidden functions be made public now that it's no more?

 

[ShaunJS]

Will you also be removing the export option and links in upcoming patches to GMS 1.4? This is an important step that seems to have been omitted from your announcement.

Also, I remember there were hidden functions that you added to GMS just to make Player possible in native GML. Will those hidden functions be made public now that it's no more?

1. Yes. These things will be removed in the next build of GM:S 1.x.

2. You'll need to be more specific here, to the best of my personal knowledge there isn't anything that exists wholly for the Player or came about as a result of the Player that is still limited only to the Player in some way that would be relevant for general users. But I can enquire on your behalf about any specifics.

 

[Sam (Deleted User)]

Lel, totally forgot about this thingy. Did it even released from beta?

No. They also promised Mac and Ubuntu support all the way up to this announcement without removing it from their site, in all that time. It still says "coming soon" on the site.

I was actually waiting for Mac and Ubuntu ports to be released and was all excited about it, only to find they weren't going to follow through with it at all. "Oops, we change our mind."

Also, I remember there were hidden functions that you added to GMS just to make Player possible in native GML. Will those hidden functions be made public now that it's no more?

Like how the player could embed a web browser control is a nice example of this.

 

[Jabbers]

This isn't a surprise. It was a fun idea but even back in 2014 it seemed to me that the Player was the answer to a problem nobody had. There were lots of entry-level places to release games, including ones like IndieCity which had a download client, and they were far more established (but even IndieCity is gone now I believe).

 

[RekNepZ]

Player probably would have been successful if it was more like the old Sandbox. However, it would also probably have the same problems with bad games everywhere as well.
A lot of people miss the old GM Games sites, but Player wasn't the solution we needed. R.I.P

 

[rIKmAN]

I didn't even know it existed if I'm honest so I won't miss it, but I'm glad YYG will have some extra resources, time and manpower to put into development of GMS going forward.

 

[Lukan]

I feel like a lot of people said this would end like this when it first launched.
The fact that the Ubuntu and Mac releases never happened pretty much sold it to me.

Sad to see it go, but I'm excited to see what YoYo does with the extra resources. (helpdesk could use some more people)

 

[zbox]

GMPlayer GDP: $3 that one time when someone test purchased a game

 

[RichHopefulComposer]

I feel like a lot of people said this would end like this when it first launched.

I'm pretty sure almost everybody asked "what is this for when we have Steam and the Sandbox?!" and the staff got all mad and tried to explain why the Player was going to be totally awesome for real. Heh.
RIP in pizza, GM: Player. Maybe somebody will miss you, somewhere. But probably not, lol. May GMS2.0 grow stronger by feeding on your rotting, janky corpse. :')

 

[rIKmAN]

I'm pretty sure almost everybody asked "what is this for when we have Steam and the Sandbox?!" and the staff got all mad and tried to explain why the Player was going to be totally awesome for real. Heh.
RIP in pizza, GM: Player. Maybe somebody will miss you, somewhere. But probably not, lol. May GMS2.0 grow stronger by feeding on your rotting, janky corpse. :')

Plot twist: This is just to prepare us for the unveiling of GM: Player 2.0!

 

[RichHopefulComposer]

Ughhhh, nooooooooooooooooooooo

 

[matharoo]

We want sandbox
Who me? No I didn't say anything!?

 

[Deryk Warrel]

So, if i only have the free version of GM:S, and i am only able to make a executable archive for the GM: Player, after it shut down i won't be able to make a executable at all?
kinda new to this, sorry in advance if i am wrong.

 

[matharoo]

So, if i only have the free version of GM:S, and i am only able to make a executable archive for the GM: Player, after it shut down i won't be able to make a executable at all?
kinda new to this, sorry in advance if i am wrong.

You'd still be able to make an executable the normal way.

 

[Deryk Warrel]

You'd still be able to make an executable the normal way.

I just realized i forgot to put my license in GM:S, that's why it wasn't allowing me to make a executable for windows
Anyway thanks, mb.

 

[Storyteller]

thank goodness, more resources can be focused on GMS:2

 

[matharoo]

To be honest, GameMaker: Player showed me how much GameMaker is unlimited, Creating a marketplace with GameMaker broke all the limits I thought GameMaker has, I just love how strong and easy GML IS!

Yeah, I forgot the fact that it's created in GM. Wonder how much they had to go through making it in GM just for the sake of "Made in GMS". I don't know about this, but, would it have been easier to build it in... something else? Something more suited to making programs like that?

 

[woodsmoke]

Good decision on focusing your work. Itch.io is excellent.

 

[lolslayer]

Wasn't itch.io already popular before game maker player beeta got released?

 

[matharoo]

Wasn't itch.io already popular before game maker player beeta got released?

But maybe they had to try make something new since they closed Sandbox.
Pls bring sandbox back <3

 

[ZELPAD]

It was quite easy with the GM PLAYER.
I'm missing it. Even if there were very few games to be seen.

 

[GMWolf]

It was quite easy with the GM PLAYER.
I'm missing it. Even if there were very few games to be seen.

From a publishing stand point, it makes no sense - In the end, why would any user want to download a platfrom just to play Game Maker games when those games can more often than not be found as a standard executable?

 

[ZELPAD]

It was not realy the Player Platform, the Option to upload it ones and yoyo do the rest,.. porting it to other platforms maybe was a nice idea. With out getting any plugins or different exports.

 

[z0anthr0pe]

let's just move on...

 

[Chungsie]

so no exports? death to dev teams then?

 

[rIKmAN]

so no exports? death to dev teams then?

What?

 

[Chungsie]

I thought Shaun said it would be removed.
↑
Will you also be removing the export option and links in upcoming patches to GMS 1.4? This is an important step that seems to have been omitted from your announcement.

Also, I remember there were hidden functions that you added to GMS just to make Player possible in native GML. Will those hidden functions be made public now that it's no more?
1. Yes. These things will be removed in the next build of GM:S 1.x.

 

[Mike]

Will you also be removing the export option and links in upcoming patches to GMS 1.4? This is an important step that seems to have been omitted from your announcement.
Also, I remember there were hidden functions that you added to GMS just to make Player possible in native GML. Will those hidden functions be made public now that it's no more?

1) Yes
2) No

 

[Chungsie]

export project option?

 

[Mike]

Export to player will be removed -as there will be no player to export to.