Hello again, everyone! Producer Morino here with letter #3!
As you may have heard, we just announced that we’re working with W4 Games to try and bring console porting support to ACTION GAME MAKER, so today I’d like go over that in more detail.
Due to Godot Engine, which is what is powering ACTION GAME MAKER, being open source, it does not include consoles as build targets. As the Godot Foundation has publicly announced (リンク), console porting is not currently compatible with Godot’s FOSS principles. Therefore W4 Games was created in part to create the W4 Console middleware so that Godot could gain access to consoles as a build target.
About the Agreement Status
The recent announcement was to clarify that W4 Games and Gotcha Gotcha Games are currently engaged in negotiations towards an agreement that would represent collaboration between the two companies. As such it does not represent a final decision, but more of an intent to work towards an agreement, and therefore is still subject to change or, in a situation we hope to avoid, cancellation. So please temper any hype you are currently feeling!
Generally there are 2 points to the current structure.
Firstly, Gotcha Gotcha Games will be working with W4 Games to help improve the environment for Godot and expand W4 Games’ services in the Japanese market via participation in Tokyo Game Show 2024.
Secondly, ACTION GAME MAKER will be incorporating the W4 Consoles middleware in order to allow games to be ported to consoles.
ACTION GAME MAKER: Console Porting
W4 Games middleware, W4 Consoles, gives developers the power to port games made with Godot to consoles such as the Nintendo Switch, Xbox Series X|S, and Playstation 5. Once the W4 Consoles middleware is enabled – assuming a final agreement is enacted - for ACTION GAME MAKER, these same consoles will be enabled as a build target, allowing developers to port their games. I’m sure everyone would like to know more, so let me answer a few predictable questions:
When will it become available?
ACTION GAME MAKER is currently still under development, and we have not yet started implementation of the W4 Consoles middleware. Currently, we are expecting the implementation to not be ready in time for the 2025 release of ACTION GAME MAKER. Our current development plan is to have it ready in 2026.
Will it support all 3 major platforms?
It would be best to say that is not finalized at this time. As the middleware has not been implemented yet (and is not fully available from W4 Games at the time of writing) it is not possible to do qualification testing quite yet. We will make a formal announcement after we have confirmed that a platform is working as intended and is therefore officially supported. We ask for your patience while we go through this process!
Will a publishing contract with Gotcha Gotcha Games be required, like it is for Pixel Game Maker MV?
Nope! For ACTION GAME MAKER, no publishing contract is required, so you are free to self-publish or find another publisher if that is what you wish to do. However, part of why Pixel Game Maker MV required a publishing contract was to provide the necessary testing equipment for console porting. With ACTION GAME MAKER and the W4 Consoles middleware, developers will need to contact the platform holder directly and sign up as a platform developer. Once authorized, developers will need to procure their own testing equipment and then apply to access the console porting function of ACTION GAME MAKER for their desired (authorized) platform(s). While this is more difficult for some developers, this makes ACTION GAME MAKER have the same flow as used by other game engines when it comes to development for consoles.
What will it cost?
The price is still TBD. While W4 Games has announced a price table for the W4 Consoles middleware , it is still an active topic of discussion for ACTION GAME MAKER. But yes, it is likely that there will be additional fees to access the console porting functions of ACTION GAME MAKER.
Console porting functionality will greatly expand the number of platforms and thus players available to game developers who decide to select ACTION GAME MAKER as their engine. And I think it’s real dream for many developers to have their game playable on a console, with that experience that only a console can provide. Thus, while we are limited in how much we can say at this time due to the development stage we are at and without a final contract, it is something we take very seriously! We want to make sure that ACTION GAME MAKER comes to market in a shape that everyone is happy to see, and are working hard to make that happen!
*Xbox is a trademark of Microsoft.
*Nintendo Switch is a trademark of Nintendo.
*PlayStation is a registered trademark or trademark of Sony Interactive Entertainment.
Who is W4 Games?
W4 Games was created in 2021 by the leaders of the Godot project: Juan Linietsky, Remi Verschelde, Fabio Alessandrelli. With the help of Nicola Farronato, the company was founded in Ireland.
The purpose of the company is to extend the Godot ecosystem with additional products and services that the Godot Foundation is unable to provide, especially targeting professional game developers.
In addition to the W4 Consoles middleware, W4 Games is at work on other projects as well. Of particular note is W4 Cloud, which includes player management, matchmaking, server hosting, and all the elements of multiplayer development and infrastructure a developer would need. And all designed with the needs of a Godot developer in mind.
Appearance at Tokyo Game Show 2024
From September 26th until the 29th (4 days), Gotcha Gotcha Games will have a booth at the Tokyo Game Show 2024 (Hall 9 Indie Game Area 09-W50). A section of the booth will be devoted to “Godot Engine Supported by W4 Games”. This display will include a playable demo of Godot projects, and additional information about W4 Consoles and W4 Cloud will be provided.
And, of course, ACTION GAME MAKER will be presented for the first playable game demo! As a special for those who visit the booth, a brief look at the current in-development version of the editor will also be available. If is still incomplete with missing functionality and is unoptimized, but it will give you a look at what is coming! We hope you will decide to come take a look!
Demo Images
So that’s all for this month’s producer’s letter! Please look forward to the next one, which I plan to release in October! Thank you for your time, and I hope you will continue to support ACTION GAME MAKER!