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YoYo Games has announced that its popular 2D games engine, GameMaker Studio 2, will shortly launch support for next-gen consoles, with a date set of March 2021. The feature is currently in closed beta, but once launches will allow users to create titles for the devices.
Of course, it’s possible to run titles currently under backward compatibility, but the launch will bring with it native support with features such as 120Hz frame rates and support for new haptic features and audio standards.
GameMaker Studio is a popular choice for indie studios and student developers learning their craft, with simply but powerful workflows for creating 2D games. The engine is responsible for breakout indie hits such as Spelunky, Undertale, Hotline Miami, Hyper Light Drifter and Nidhogg, among many more.
Those using GameMaker to develop games for next-generation consoles will require either a GameMaker Studio 2 PlayStation, Xbox or Ultimate license.
“We’re extremely pleased to be extending our platform exports to offer support for PlayStation®5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles,” said Stuart Poole, General Manager, YoYo Games. “As a result, our growing indie development community will soon be able to develop and launch their games straight onto these next-generation console platforms, with all the ease and simplicity they’ve come to expect from GameMaker.”
Only last month, YoYo Games was acquired by internet browser firm Opera, to broaden its gaming segment.
Annette De Freitas, Head of Business Development & Strategic Partnerships, Opera Gaming, added: “Gaming is a growth area for Opera and the acquisition of YoYo Games reflects significant, sustained momentum across both of our businesses over the past year. Our new Opera GX browser hit 7 million MAUs in December, 2020, up 350% year over year, while YoYo Games’ GameMaker engine achieved 400K new registered creators in 2020. We’re tremendously excited by the opportunities the combination creates not only for our combined users, but also for the expansion of Opera’s gaming community.”
