Purchasing Options for Console Licences
When choosing to develop for console, you now have some choice of how to license also: you can purchase the export module for a single console (Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, or Xbox One) or, particularly if you plan to target more than one platform, you may want to purchase GameMaker Studio 2 Ultimate for a lower yearly cost.
The single console licence contains only that export and the standard Windows or Mac test run capability. If you require additional licences you can purchase them separately.
The Ultimate licence contains all licences (Desktop, Web, UWP, Mobile, etc.), but will only contain the console export(s) that you are registered for. You can purchase the Ultimate licence to access Desktop, Web, UWP, Mobile etc. before registering as a developer for our Console platforms, however if you wish to include the Console licences you will still need to follow the processes listed below.
If you wish to purchase the Ultimate licence prior to registering as a developer for the Console platforms please head over to the "Available to Buy" section of your Products page.
Please note: Whilst this is a 12 month licence, it is not an automatically renewing subscription and requires you to manually purchase again at the end of your 12 months, as we do not auto-renew for you.
Registering to become a Console developer
In order to purchase a GameMaker Studio 2 product that includes console export capabilities, you will first need to be a registered developer for at least one of the supported console platforms. Guidance on how to become a registered developer for each supported console platform can be found below:
Nintendo Switch
To become an authorized Nintendo Switch developer, please sign up at https://developer.nintendo.com.
The next step, is to contact the Nintendo Regional offices at developers@nintendo.eu if you are based in Europe or Australia and thirdpartypublisher@noa.nintendo.com if you are based in the USA or elsewhere, to pitch your project and seek authorization to become a Nintendo Switch developer.
Once you have been approved as a developer, you should register your request via Nintendo’s GameMaker middleware web page. Please note, you will be required to sign-in to your Nintendo Developer account to access this page.
Lastly, you will also require either a Nintendo Switch licence ($799/ 12 months) or a GameMaker Studio 2 Ultimate licence ($1,500 / 12 months), which provides access to all of our export options.
PlayStation 4
To gain access to the PlayStation 4 export you firstly need to request to become a PlayStation Partner. You can sign up here. This gives you access to everything you need from Sony Computer Entertainment (ordering dev kits, downloading SDKs and tools, etc).
Once you have done this and have access to SCE DevNet, you will need to log in to the DevNet website and go to:
- Development -> Tools & Middleware
- Click Tools & Middleware directory
- Find GameMaker Studio in the Engine Category and click "Confirm developer status"
- Finally, click "Confirm status"
Please note: PS4 is the only Sony export available in GameMaker Studio 2. PS3 and Vita will be listed on this page also, but those are for GameMaker: Studio 1.4 only.
This will notify us via email and we shall then contact you through the Helpdesk system. When we contact you, if you have an active PS4 licence on your account, we will give you access to the export inside GMS2, the ability to see the console articles/forums here on the knowledge base, and access to our support forum to report general GameMaker issues/bugs and seek advice. Please note that you must not report PS4-specific comments/bugs in any public forum, as per your agreement with the console platform holder.
Xbox One
To gain access to the Xbox One Module you firstly need to sign up to the ID@Xbox program. You can sign up here. This gives you access to everything you need from Microsoft (ordering dev kits, downloading SDKs and tools, etc).
Once you have signed up and have been approved, you then need to contact YoYo Games by creating a support ticket.
To speed up this process please include the following:
- Name
- E-mail Address
- Company Name
Please note: The details above need to be as per your ID@Xbox details.
Feel free to also include the YoYo Account e-mail addresses for other team members who also need to be set up.
After this, we further confirm your details with Microsoft, which can take some time. Once confirmed, if you have an active Xbox One licence on your account, we will give you access to the export inside GMS2, the ability to see the console articles/forums here on the knowledge base, and access to our support forum to report general GameMaker issues/bugs and seek advice. Please note that you must not report Xbox One-specific comments/bugs in any public forum, as per your agreement with the console platform holder.
Please be aware that we cannot issue you with any information until you have been approved by Microsoft, so please make sure everything has been set up before contacting us.